


A Life of Love

by InebriatedCaffeineImbiber



Category: RWBY
Genre: F/M, Non-NTR Arkos
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2020-06-18
Updated: 2020-07-24
Packaged: 2021-03-03 18:48:09
Rating: Explicit
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 8
Words: 23,717
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/24790327
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/InebriatedCaffeineImbiber/pseuds/InebriatedCaffeineImbiber
Summary: Jaune's love life is everything he could've hoped for. A small apartment with a beautiful wife whom he absolutely adores with his heart and soul.
Relationships: Jaune Arc/Pyrrha Nikos
Comments: 17
Kudos: 32





	1. Fairytale

“Hey Honey! I’m back!” Jaune announced as he walked through the door, kicking off his shoes with a sigh of relief.

“Hello dear, how was work today?” His wife’s voice came from the kitchen.

“It was a bit rough, I swear these guys don’t know a thing or two about handling money, I swear I thought they even tried to snuck a few Lien away!” He said, exasperated.

“Wow really? They actually tried to steal money from the bank?” His wife said, genuinely shocked.

“Yeah I know, I was amazed too, like I told them off and that I’d report them if they did it again but you know me… not exactly the most intimidating guy there.” He sighed out loud as he unbuttoned his suit and looked up at the ceiling, a pair of soft arms enclosing his chest.

“Well you’re manly and tough enough for me baby… Why don’t you lay down for a bit, dinner is almost ready and I’ve made your favourite.” She giggled softly.

He chuckled and grabbed her hand softly, kissing it. “What did I ever do to deserve the light of my life?”

“Ran into me at school a couple of times, knocking my pens and books everywhere, you never really did look where you walked did you?” She teased, amused at the fond memory.

“Yeah you’re right, you’re right. I guess I kinda barged myself into your life. But I don’t have any regrets, do you?” He said, turning towards her and looking down at her face that still made his heart flutter.

“Nope, none at all.” She said, poking his nose and standing on her tippy toes to peck him on the lips, the kiss lingering for a moment longer before she stopped to go back to the stove.

“How was your day?” He asked, shrugging off his jacket and collapsing onto the sofa, groaning as his feet were free.

“Oh it was great, I actually went out and had lunch with some girlfriends today, it’s been so long since I’ve seen them that I nearly cried when I hugged them. It was a lovely place too, maybe we should go there together some day?”

“Sure, why not? I’ve got this weekend off on both days so I think it’ll be a great opportunity. What type of place is it?” He said, his interest spiked.

“It’s somewhat like a restaurant and pub sort of deal? They do craft beers and interesting brews from what I saw as well.” She said, stirring the pot with a wooden ladle.

“That sounds grand, maybe we can bring Nora and Ren along as well, they recently got married too didn’t they?” He said, thinking back to his lifelong friends.

“Really? God it feels like only yesterday they were engaged.” His wife said, amazed.

“Well they’ve been wanting to get married for a while, they just never got around to the engagement part. It’s weird, they sorted out the wedding and whatnot before they even got engaged.” Jaune said to the ceiling as he attempted to relax.

“Everyone knew they were going to get married, it was plain as daylight.” She giggled, setting the pot down and grabbing the crockery and cutlery.

“Yeah even I saw it, and I’m blind as a bat! Hey, remember when you gave me a movie ticket and I thought you were just being nice, and then I went to see the movie on my own?” He chuckled embarrassingly at that memory.

“Yes I do, I also remember Ren trying to convince you that it was meant to be a date yet you wouldn’t see it like that.” She scolded him semi-seriously. “Come up, dinner’s ready babe.”

“Yeah I know I was being stupid back then.” He said as he got up and walked painfully over to the table, taking a seat next to her, his arm slipping around her waist. “God smelling that has made me starve.”

“Well don’t eat your food too quickly or you’ll end up throwing it back up in the toilet, which I rather you didn’t since I spent a lot of time and effort on this.” She pouted.

He chuckled softly. “Alright alright, I’ll savour every bite of your delicious stew.” He reassured her as he gave her cheek a big smooch, grabbing a plate and plating up his food.

_Sometime later_

Jaune sighed as he slipped into the comfortable bed sheets that beckoned him. He sidled up to his wife, wrapping his arms around her waist and pulling her in closer. “Mmm I smell lavender.” He murmured.

“Mhm, it’s one of my new body washes, I saw it on the shelf and I thought I might fancy a go at it.” She grinned widely as she turned to face him.

“Well I have to say it smells amazing, I wouldn’t mind going to sleep to this smell.” He chuckled, lightly kissing her.

She responded in kind, her hands going up to caress his face and the stubble. “You need to shave again.” She teased.

“Awww do I have too?” He pouted at her.

“Fine, since it’s the weekend you don’t have to.” She relented.

“Woohoo! It’s a real pain to get a decent shave.” He commented ruefully.

“Just let me shave you then?” She asked, but he was already shaking his head.

“No no no no, I can’t do that. You already cook and do the majority of the cleaning, I’d feel horrible if I made you do that.” He said, his face troubled.

“Alright if it troubles you that much I won’t do it then… But it makes my heart warm that you think of me so much.” She said, smiling widely.

“Well of course, if it’s not numbers or bank notes, you’re the only thing that’s on my mind.” He said, trying to be smooth.

She giggled at that. “That was awful, you know that?” She said through her giggles.

“Yeah but that’s why you fell in love with me isn’t it? I was always the cheesy goofy guy.” He chuckled, kissing her neck softly and holding her close.

“Mmm… We should go to sleep, we’ve got a big weekend planned don’t we?” She said, closing her eyes.

“That we do babe, that we do.” He agreed.

“Love you.” She whispered.

“Love you too.” He whispered back.


	2. Some Traumas Remain

“Jaune hurry up honey! We’re going to be late for the meet up!” His wife urged him as he threw on the nicest clothes he could find.

“Sorry! I didn’t realise what the time was!” He scrambled to get dressed, his wife locking up their small apartment.

“I told you twenty minutes to go to get dressed darling, was your head in the clouds?” She wondered, exasperated.

“Yeah sorry babe!” He frantically said as he attempted to smooth out his shirt and put on his shoes.

“Hurry baby!” She said, waiting for him at the door.

“Coming!” He said, nearly jogging out of the door with half a shoe on.

The car ride was a quiet one, Jaune was in the driver seat as he knew the way to get there. The silence was broken by his wife. “Do you know what you’re doing next weekend?” She asked him.

“Mmm I think I’ve got work on those days, sorry baby.” Jaune said apologetically, taking a right turn and accelerating.

“You don’t get weekends off much do you?” She said wistfully.

“I know hun, and I’m sorry. But this bank really needs me for this weekend, they trust me enough to close down the store and count the bank. I’m really sorry.” He sighed.

“I get that your job is important baby, I really do. I just wish you got more time off.” She said, her hand gracing his thigh.

“So do I babe, maybe when we get more workers I can take more time off. But until that happens then I won’t have too much time off.” He said regretfully.

“Well I suppose I should be grateful, I still get to see you every day. Not every wife experiences that.” She admitted.

“And I’m infinitely grateful with how much you put up with babe, I know it’s not easy.” He said, the restaurant coming into view. “Oh look, we’re nearly there.”

“I can’t wait to meet Ren and Nora again, it’s been so long. How long has it been?” She wondered.

“A few months, they moved into a new house and last I heard they were trying for a baby soon. Any baby they make is gonna be adorable.” He said happily, pulling into a car park and exiting the car with his wife.

They walked for a few minutes until they saw the recently married couple. “JAUNE!” Nora yelled, waving enthusiastically with a semi-tired Ren right next to her.

“Nora! It’s so good to see you!” His wife gleefully yelled as the two embraced each other tightly. Jaune and Ren both extended arms for a manly handshake and a firm nod.

“Good to see you bud.” Jaune said to him, smiling softly.

“Good to see you too, glad to see that you haven’t changed much.” Ren commented.

“No not at all really, just working harsher hours but really I’ve been keeping well.” Jaune said, smiling at his friend.

“Mmm Nora and I have just finished unpacking, now the place looks like someone is living in it.” He said as he looked at the wife duo.

“How’s the marriage so far?” Jaune asked.

“It’s not too bad, it was a bit rocky at the start because we needed to find a new place, but now that we’ve got that we’re going to start looking at a family.” Ren said.

Jaune nodded. “I remember you mentioning something about it. I can’t think of a couple who deserve a happy family more than you guys.” He said, clapping Ren on the shoulder. “Shall we go and sit down already? I’m pretty peckish.”

“I agree, knowing Nora she’s bound to be starving.” Ren agreed as he walked with Jaune to find a seat, the wives noticing and following close behind.

Soon enough the group were sat at a table and their orders were placed. They talked with each other for a bit before Nora bought up an interesting question. “So, when will ya guys finally have a kid huh?” She giggled.

Jaune spat out his coffee in shock, hastening to clean it from his clothing and the table, while his wife nearly choked on her food. “I-it’s a bit early for us at the moment Nora, sorry.” Jaune grunted as he tried to clear his throat, looking worriedly at his wife as he rubbed her back.

“Y-yes… While we are steady in our income and have a nice place, I think a child would put a lot of strain on the both of us. Maybe when my love gets more permanent time off from work we’ll think about it. Cause I don’t want to raise a baby in an environment where they barely get to see their daddy.” She said, clearing her throat.

Jaune nodded. “I agree, it’s not off the table but it’s not in the hands currently… Just a lot of things are going on currently with work right now and I don’t feel comfortable with raising a child just yet.”

“That’s fair, I don’t expect everyone to have the same ideas towards children like Rennypoo and I do.” Nora giggled while she cuddled her husband.

“To be fair Nora, I wasn’t all that keen until we had a proper talk about it.” Ren reminded her as he sipped his coffee.

“We haven’t had the talk yet, but I’m sure we will, for either result.” Jaune reassured them as he sipped from his own drink as well.

“Anyways have you heard from the Rose sisters yet?” Nora asked, going on a random tangent like she normal does and thus consuming everyone’s attention and time.

Jaune yawned as he checked his watch. “Wow it’s already 2 o’ clock? Where did the time go?!” He exclaimed.

Nora’s mouth turned into an O as she realised that she had been talking nonstop for the past multiple hours, giving a small giggle as she hugged Ren. “Sorry darling, I didn’t realise I was talking so much.”

“It is quite alright dear, I enjoy it when you enjoy yourself.” He gave her a small smile and a kiss on the forehead.

Jaune chuckled. “You two are so different yet you compliment each other so well.”

“Well of course I compliment my Rennypoo, who else is going to get him up in the morning?” She smiled brightly and looked up at Ren.

“They are probably still experiencing the Honeymoon High my love.” Jaune’s wife commented as she finished her drink. She stifled a yawn before glancing around. “Oh my lord I am surprisingly tired, I’m sorry.”

“No no don’t be, I know I can be a chatterbox! I’m just glad Ren and I got to catch up with you two!” Nora said brightly.

They all stood up and tucked their chairs in and made to go pay for their food. Ren tapped Jaune on the shoulder. “Mind waiting back for me? I need to talk to you.”

“Huh? Sure alright. You go on ahead hon.” He said to his wife before kissing her goodbye. Rocking up next to Ren who walked away a bit he said “So, what’s up?”

“So I heard your first anniversary is coming up soon, isn’t it?” He asked.

“Yeah, three months from now.” Jaune said, beaming happily.

“Congratulations on that, but I’ve slightly concerned. It’s no small secret that the first year is where marriages suffer the most.” He said cryptically.

Jaune stiffened slightly. “What are you trying to imply?” He wondered, his fist unconsciously clenching.

“Nothing Jaune, don’t worry about that. I’m just concerned about the marriage alright? Anything can be a struggle, money, time, love. I just want you to know that I am in your corner and that if that time comes, you can lean on me.” He said calmly.

Jaune nodded and calmed down, not realising how tense he was. “I… I think you for that, it’s not every day I get someone telling me that they’re there for me… Thanks Ren.” The two embraced each other tightly, separating after a while as they headed out.

_Sometime later that night_

Jaune crawled into the sheets of their bed, sighing as the soft sheets caressed his skin. “I am so glad we spent extra on these sheets, they are just so soft and warm and amazing.” He murmured in bliss.

His wife giggled softly and cuddled up to him. “I couldn’t agree more babe, this is definitely worth the money. And the mattress too, oh my god I’m sinking right into it.” She sighed happily.

“Yeah… Shall we go to sleep baby?” He murmured, kissing his wife softly.

“Yeah.” She kissed back just as softly, her hand caressing his cheek.

“Will I see you in the morning?” He asked hopefully.

“Of course Jaune… Goodnight, love you.” She said, closing her eyes.

“Goodnight, love you too.” He said, doing the same.

_A few hours later_

Jaune tossed and turned in his sleep, his mind plagued by nightmares form his childhood.

“Get up you weakling! What?! Can’t fight me can you? Get up!” A kid much larger than him pushed him around and to the ground, putting his foot on Jaune’s back. “You’re not worth the dirt I’m grinding you into, be thankful!”

Jaune shook with fear, they were surrounded by other kids as well, all of them watching him and jeering at him. He couldn’t understand why they were so mean to him, he didn’t really do anything to deserve this.

“Maybe to teach you a lesson, I’ll break your arm!” The bully suggested as they reached down to grab Jaune by both arms.

“Please no! Don’t I don’t wanna feel the pain!” He screamed out.

“NOO!” Jaune howled out as he woke up from his sleep, waking and startling his wife.

“Honey, what’s wrong?” She asked, drowsily rubbing her eyes.

Jaune sat there, chest heaving as he attempted to speak. “J-just a bad dream baby… Go back to sleep.” He tried to comfort her.

“No this is serious hon… You had a really bad nightmare didn’t you?” She asked, sliding her arms over his bear chest and kissing his nape.

“Y-yeah…” He panted as he attempted to calm down. “It was a pretty bad one.”

“Tell me then baby… I’m here for you.” She murmured as she pulled him into a tight hug.

“It… It was…” He took a deep breath and sighed. “It was a memory from when I was a kid… There were a group of bullies who’d just pick on me for any reason… Anyways the leader decided to break my arm that day… I never felt so much pain in my life.” He murmured.

She gasped softly as she began to rock him back and forth. “Did he get into trouble for it?” She cooed softly.

“Nope… Too afraid to tell anyone, just told them that I slipped and fell from a tree. It was believable enough anyways.” He grunted.

“Shhh it’s alright… I’m here… I’m here and no one can hurt you.” She cooed as she rocked him back and forth.

“N-No one will hurt me?” He asked fearfully.

“Yup, no one. It’s just you and me.” She reassured him, continuing to rock back and forth.

A few more minutes later and Jaune was already fast asleep again. She laid him down softly and laid back herself, taking a look at his face and felt her heart strings being pulled before closing her eyes and going back to sleep.


	3. Arousing Suspicions

Jaune came through the door tiredly, glancing around at the quiet house. “Hi babe, I’m home.” He said, expecting a reply that was so normal that he didn’t realise that he didn’t hear a reply until he entered the living room.

“Honey? Babe? Where are you?” He said, this time confused as he looked into the kitchen, and then up the stairs in their bedroom. She was nowhere to be seen.

He bit his lip worriedly as he went down the steps and spotted a note on the kitchen bench, it read. “Hey honey, I’m out with a bunch of friends for a Girl’s night out, I made you some dinner already, just heat it up okay? Love you!”

He sighed in relief as he read the note again. “Good, I’m glad she’s getting out of the house, and she still managed to make me dinner… She is amazing.” He said as he grabbed a beer from the fridge and sat down at the couch, taking small sips from his drink, smiling at the idea of her having fun.

“I guess we both need our breaks from each other.” He yawned and took another sip, kicking his shoes off and stretching, going to undo his clothes and put them in the washing machine. “Hmmm, what to do now…” He murmured.

He spied the cookbook in their cupboard. “Wouldn’t it be nice if she came home to muffins? Or a cake? It’s been a hot minute since I’ve made something but… Maybe Sis can help?” He pondered as he reached over and dialled Saphron.

Her face covered the screen as she hurriedly fixed her hair. “Hey bro! How are you?” She said, beaming at him.

“Hey sis, I’m pretty dang good, and yourself?” He responded, putting the scroll on a stand.

“I’m good, just finished packing up from the little tyke.” She sighed and sat down on a bench. “So what can I do for ya?”

“Can’t I call my absolutely adorable sister to talk to her?” He commented teasingly.

“I mean yes but remember you called me three days ago.” She responded in kind.

“Oh… you’re right about that.” He said sheepishly.

“So how can I help you bro?” She asked again, smiling.

“Well I wanna bake something for my wife but I don’t know what. It’s been a while since I’ve baked anything.” He declared.

“Oh? And what spurred this decision on? Not like you to be spontaneous.” She commented with interest.

“Well I just really love her and all and I just wanna show my appreciation in a way that’s not cheesy.” He said, chuckling slightly.

“And you’re not trying to be cheesy? Who are you and what have you done with my little brother?” She joked.

“I’ve got him in the basement downstairs, the ransom is to teach me how to bake a cake, MUAHAHAHAHAHA!” He cackled evilly.

“Alright alright for the sake of my little brother I will teach you how to bake a cake, at least in the right way.” She said, getting comfortable on the couch. “You ready?”

“Yeah sure, ready whenever you are.” He said, cleaning his hands and grabbing the utensils necessary to make a cake.

“Alright so the important thing is to not overbeat your cake, otherwise it’ll just be as dense as a brick. So you gotta make sure to whip it up in a way that introduces air bubbles. But we will get to that later. So add the dry ingredients first and mix them together.”

Jaune nodded and put the self raising flour and sugar together, reading off a recipe card, and mixed them together. “Alright, now what?”

“Alright now what you want to do is create a small well in the centre, and then add your milk, eggs and melted butter.” She said, watching him.

He nodded and added those ingredients, stirring them in softly and slowly. “Like this?”

“Yup, now when you want to do is get into a soft whipping motion to aerate the mixture, so put the bowl slightly on an angle and whisk.” She instructed.

He followed as she said and began to whisk softly. “Like this?”

“Now you got it! You’ll know when the time is right when you can’t see the dry ingredients anymore, when that happens stop whisking, or you might overdo it.” She warned.

When he finished whisking to his satisfaction he put the cake away. “Now what?”

“Now that you’ve done that, all you need to do is line a cake tin with either flour or baking paper, whichever one you prefer. Wait, you did preheat the oven, right?”

“Yeah it was one of the things you taught me, remember that?” He smiled at her.

“Oh yeah, and I also remember you always sticking your finger into the batter.” She chastised.

“Yeah well who told me that was a good idea, hmm?” He defended.

“Well certainly not me.” She pouted. “Now pour the cake into the tin and put it in the oven, should be done in half an hour?” She estimated.

He followed her instructions and soon the cake was in the oven. He dusted his hands off, cleaned the bench and then cleaned his hands.

“So how’s the marriage?” Saphron asked as she sipped on a drink.

“It’s going pretty well. Work keeps me away from home a lot so I don’t get to see her for a while but it’s worth it in the end. She’s currently out on a Girl’s Night with some friends.” He said, sighing and sitting down on the couch.

“Ooooh that’s interesting, I hope she has a lot of fun.” She comments, looking at her nails.

“So do I, she needs a break. I think we just needed a small break from each other.” Jaune yawned as he finished his beer.

“Yeah I hear that. Sometimes my wife and I need to have a break from each other. It’s all normal Jauney. How’s work?”

“Real tough at the moment, I’m currently the senior so I have a lot of responsibility, so I gotta train the juniors and whatnot… But work has said that they’re thinking of cutting me a bit more slack as they’re getting in another senior manager, so I won’t be the only one.”

“That’s great news, you’re really filling out in your life aren’t you? Got the job, the money and the girl. What else could you want?” She chuckled.

“Not much, maybe a bigger house but that’ll come in time.” He said, sure of himself.

“And how’s her job going?”

“It’s going good, she’s currently working as a nurse in basic care so she doesn’t have many issues, it’s mainly when she goes to ICU where the problems start.” He said worriedly.

“Well I wouldn’t be too concerned bro, she can look after herself.” She told him.

“Yeah I know, I know.” He relented, the pair falling into a comfortable silence.

“It was good talking to you again, Saph.” Jaune murmured.

“Are you okay?” She said, worried about what just came out of his mouth.

“Argh I just feel bad. Because I know I’m a good husband but there’s always part of me that berates me for not spending more time with her, that I’m useless as a husband and that she’d be happier with someone else.” He glumly responded.

She gave a large sigh. “I know how you feel Jaune… But you are a good man, I should know since our parents and I tried our best to make you hubby material. You’re doing great. Your first anniversary is just around the corner isn’t it?”

“Yeah, a month.”

“Well, got anything planned?” She teased.

“Well I plan to take her out to the local lake and watch the sunset with her before taking her to her favourite restaurant.” Jaune rattled off.

“Not bad, not bad at all. Certainly a good plan, any flowers?”

“Gardenias and Tulips.” He nodded.

“Ohhh how lovely! You’ve turned into a real lover boy there Jauney!” She giggled brightly.

“Awww shucks don’t draw too much attention to it otherwise I’ll just grow a big head.”

“And it’s not like your head needs to get any bigger.” She poked her tongue at him.

“Hey! That’s not nice!” He chuckled.

They both chuckled together before they fell into silence again. “Well bro I’m gonna pop off and get a decent nap while I can, don’t forget the cake and keep your heard up alright? You’re doing great.” She said softly.

“Thanks Sis… Love you.”

“Love you too bro, stay safe.” She beamed before hanging up.

Jaune stared at his scroll for a few more minutes before getting up and getting another beer, drinking that slowly as well. “Should I give her a ring? Nah she’s enjoying herself.” He said, but he heard that tiny voice in the back of his head speak.

_Another Day_

“Sorry baby I’ve gotta go!” She said as she rushed out the door, her hair a messed as she was nearly late for work. Jaune stood in the hallway, feeling a bit left out.

“Why do I feel like this?” He murmured to himself as he sat down on a chair. “Wait… It’s because she didn’t kiss me goodbye.” He realised. “Nah it’s nothing, she was just really late is all, we can make up for it tonight.” He reassured himself.

_A Few Days Later_

Jaune slid into bed once more, turning to face his wife… But she was already asleep? His brow furrowed in confusion and thought.

‘Maybe she had a really tiring day, yeah that’s right.’ He reassured himself as he turned over and went to sleep.

_A Month Later_

“Hey hon, do you know where the flour is?” Jaune asked his wife as he looked through the cabinet. A lack of a response struck him as he turned back to see her on her phone, absorbed into it.

“Hon, you there?” He said a bit louder this time.

“Hmm yeah? Oh it’s in the top right. Had to move it earlier.” She said absentmindedly as she turned her attention back to her phone.

“Thanks babe…” Jaune sighed and found the flour well enough, but his mind was still on her reaction and behaviour. ‘Is it me or is she less interested in me?’

He bit his lip and sighed, grabbing his scroll and going out onto the patio, closing the door and called Ren.

“Yes?” His calm voice came from the other side.

“Can I ask you something?” Jaune said nervously.

“I mean sure, what’s on your mind?”

“What does it mean when your significant other starts losing interest?”

“Losing interest, how do you mean?”

“I mean it’s pretty small things but… She doesn’t kiss me when she heads off to work anymore, she doesn’t say goodnight to me much and she finds her phone more interesting than me.”

Ren stiffened slightly, Nora, noticing this, walked over with a concerned look on her face. He took the scroll from his ear and showed her Jaune’s caller ID before returning it back to his ear. “I… I don’t know what to say to that Jaune, has this been going on for a while or is this new behaviour?”

“A bit of both? Like it’s slowly gotten worse and worse. It started with no more goodbye kisses and now it’s recently escalated to this phone business…”

Ren hummed softly as he looked at Nora, who gave a slight nod. “Jaune… I didn’t want to say this but with how things are going now… I have to tell you something… Your wife… She’s…”


	4. Heartstrings Pulled

“Hey honey, sorry I didn’t get your call I was out with a couple of friends, I’ll talk to you at home! Bye!”

Jaune played that voicemail over and over again from his phone and every time a new dull knife would get shoved in his chest… This pain, he couldn’t understand it. His blood pumped and his face and ears burned red hot, he felt like his heart cried out in pain, as if its fragile existence was being denied.

It starts deep within his chest, every pulse of his heart hurt him and nearly made him weep. But he couldn’t do anything about it, he could barely move and his throat closed up, making it difficult to speak or breathe.

He loved his wife… He married her because he loved her, so why does he feel like this marriage was dead already? Was it the previous times when she bailed on him with the same excuse? Was it when she didn’t cuddle with him in their bed anymore? Maybe it was that one time when she hung up on him, he just heard the voice of a man in the background that he did not recognise?

Jaune put down his scroll shakily, trying his damned best to not become a set of water works, and every attempt became harder and harder. He tried to swallow but his throat wouldn’t allow him, he tried to breathe but his chest forbade it.

In his other hand laid an empty glass with some ice in it, the leftover alcohol making the ice water a slight golden colour. He had been denying the truth ever since, wishing that it wasn’t true and that it was just a trick of the mind, but Ren tried to break it to him the best way that he could.

The last two weeks have been a rollercoaster of emotions. Jaune ignored any signs of his wife’s infidelity and kept walking forward with his head straight and a smile on his face. It was only a few months ago when the signs began to show, she wouldn’t kiss him goodbye anymore, no more cuddling and she always seemed more interested in her phone than him. But what killed him the most is that he took her out for their first year anniversary during a time she was unfaithful, and he didn’t realise.

“Ahhh Ren… I love you and hate you at the same time… I love you for telling me… But I hate you for not letting me live in my fantasy.” He choked out silently. His body spasmed violently for a second, he could hear nothing but his head muscles clenching in stress, already a headache formed.

A waitress with blazing red hair and emerald green eyes waited at the bar with a shorter girl that favoured white in her dresses. Finally the shorter girl spoke. “Hey Pyrrha, is that man alright over there?” She gestured to the booth where Jaune always sat, the booth that was dark and in the corner, out of the way of anyone seeing.

Pyrrha glanced over at the booth she mentioned, already knowing which one it was. Jaune had been a very regular customer, coming in nearly every work day for the past three weeks, from 4pm till 9pm. “I don’t know Melanie… He’s been there for a while, like last time.”

“I’m not complaining about a paying customer or anything, since no one else will buy bottom shelf shit like that but isn’t he kinda making the place a bit more depressing?” Melanie murmured.

“Don’t be so horrible! I’m pretty sure you wouldn’t like to hear people comment on your drunken antics when you’re off the clock.” She scowled, taking the swill that Jaune was drinking and walking over, leaving Melanie to blush over what she just said.

Pyrrha approached him, but Jaune couldn’t hear her footsteps. “Can I get you anything, sir?” She enquired softly.

He didn’t hear her, the voicemail replaying over and over in his mind, again and again like a ghost haunting him.

“Sir, can you hear me?” She tried again.

“Barely.” He hiccupped.

She sighed; this one was going to be one of those days for them. “While we do appreciate your patronage, we are getting concerned about your alcohol level and your suitability to continue to be at this establishment, at least for today.”

“So, you’re saying that you don’t want me here anymore and that you’re to throw me out?” Jaune grumbled in his liquor filled stupor.

“While I would put it like that, wee need to ensure the security of our other patrons.”

“Just give me the bottle and let me wallow in my self-misery. I’m not hurting anyone, and people can barely see me.” Jaune growled at her.

She shrugged and thudded the bottle onto the table. He reached out to take it, but she did not release it, making him look up at her. “I’ve been cleaning up a lot after you lately.” She commented.

“Leave it alone.” He groaned.

She slid down into the booth opposite him. “Same crap?”

“I said, leave it, alone.” He grumbled.

“What happened wasn’t your fault.” She tried to console him.

“Which part, where she fell out of love with me, or where she cheated on me?” He said, gazing up at her through a drunken haze.

“Same old bullshit, you’ll never listen.” She sighed and got up, walking away but not before turning back. “Gods, do you see what you are becoming?” She pleaded angrily.

“We are who we choose to be, and this is what I chose.” He said, grabbing the bottle and filling his drink again.

“Whenever you want to climb out of that hole of self-pity you dug yourself in, let your friends know. Because they sure as shit can’t help you.” She shot at him before walking off.

“Jeez Pyr, what did you say to him?” Melanie asked as she watched the redhead storm back from the blonde.

“Told him to either get out, whether that be this bar or the hole he dug himself in is up to him.” She scowled, cleaning a few glasses.

“I’ve never seen you get so angry at a patron before.” Melanie commented as she watched the blonde.

“It’s mainly because I know he can be a decent guy, but he’s just kept drinking himself to oblivion and now that’s all he does.” She huffed.

“You think he has any kids?” Melanie wondered aloud.

“Doubt it, looks to young to have a kid and I doubt he’d be drinking himself like this if he did have one.”

“Could be a deadbeat?”

“What? I’m thinking it and so are you. Why else is he constantly here and not at home with his wife?”

“Well apparently she cheated on him.”

“Yeah I’ve heard that sob story plenty of times before.”

“Mmm no I think this is genuine. Have you ever seen someone come to the bar every weekday for three weeks and drink like this, just to have a false story?”

“Guys will go to incredible lengths if it means they can get laid on the same night.” Melanie casually said as she sipped at her drink.

“Yeah I know how you work Melanie; don’t forget I have eyes too.” Pyrrha scowled at her co-worker.

“Keep that up and I might start to think that you don’t like me very much.” Melanie pouted.

“Not to be rude, but that is it exactly. You fool around with the customers too much, on and off the job.” She hissed quietly.

“What I do in my spare time is none of your business.” Melanie said, straightening up and staring daggers at her.

“It becomes Junior’s business when you make trouble for the bar because you enticed a guy then left him high and dry. Do you know how lucky you are that I have the training and ability to be a bouncer as well as a waitress?”

“Yes yes the amazing Pyrrha Nikos is always in Junior’s good graces.” Melanie commented scathingly.

“Well maybe if your clothes spent more time on than off, we wouldn’t be having the problems you keep causing! At least Miltia is _somewhat_ considerate and keeps her relationships on the outside of work.”

“What, Miltia is a better employee than me, is that it?” She hissed.

“A bit self conscious are you? Of course she is because she does her job and doesn’t give our patrons tit service while she is at it.” Pyrrha said, her voice filled with derision.

“You are just a goody two shoes aren’t you? Why are you shaming me for my life choices?”

“Oh fuck off with that horse shit, I wouldn’t have a problem if I didn’t have to throw out every other guy you put your hands on!” Pyrrha thundered.

“Your boyfriend is leaving.” Melanie teased viciously.

“He is not my boyfriend!” She growled, a fork levitated from the desk due to her not controlling her Semblance, before it dropped due to a door slamming, confirming Melanie’s observation.

“Whatever… What time do you clock off?” Melanie said, realising how close she was tiptoeing towards Pyrrha’s limit.

“In two hours, why?”

“Junior was wondering if you’d be keen on working early tomorrow morning.”

“I might as well, I have nothing going on to be perfectly honest.”

“You need to get yourself a hobby or a boyfriend, or both.” Melanie said pityingly

“I am fine on my own and I’m already looking for something to do.”

“Why not come out with Miltia and I? We’re going to hit the clubs for a bit.”

“Do you ever do anything that doesn’t involve or is linked to a club?” Pyrrha asked, astonished.

“Mmmm nope, since this club is my home anyways.”

“I’m not surprised…” Pyrrha commented as she went back to work.

Two uneventful hours later and Pyrrha was putting on her leather jacket. “Hey Mel, I’m heading off, I’ll see you guys tomorrow.” She said, waving goodbye as she exited out to the alley.

“Alright time to head home.” She yawned, before movement and a head of blonde hair caught her attention. Curious she walked over to get a closer look and sure enough there was Jaune utterly wasted and leaning against a wall, suit ruined beyond cleaning and half a bottle of whiskey all over himself.

“Ah jesus fucking Christ… You’ve hit rock bottom.” She sighed sadly. She looked around before looking back at him. “You don’t have anywhere else to go do you? I’m sure you wouldn’t want to go back to your apartment on account of your wife…”

She reached over to him and grabbed his jacket with a firm grip. With a haul she got him to his feet, upon which he collapsed. “Goddamnit, I’m gonna have to carry you aren’t I?” She growled before reached down to do so, slinging him over her shoulder.

It wasn’t a very long walk to her apartment, thankfully. She got up the steps with some difficulty but she was inside her apartment soon enough, unceremoniously dropping Jaune on the floor for a bit to dress down and put her stuff away. Having done those things she hauled him onto her couch, stripping him down to his boxers. “You’re so lucky you’re blacked out from the drinking.” She sighed.

She grabbed his clothes and went to throw them away before a dull _thud_ alarmed her. Looking around she spotted a small six shot revolver. Her heart and body froze at the sight of it before she returned to normal. She leant down and grabbed it, looking in the chamber. “Either you were looking for revenge, or a way out… Idiot.” She sighed and emptied the gun and setting it on the table, putting the spare ammunition in the cupboard out of reach.

She reached in her fridge and grabbed out a cold can of beer and collapsing onto the floor next to the couch. “You’re probably freezing.” She thought as she grabbed a blanket to put over him. With Jaune finally covered, Pyrrha sighed and leant back. “Tomorrow, you are going to get some help.” She said as she stood up and left for her room, closing the door behind her.


	5. A Ray of Sunshine for a Weary Man

_A/N_ : I’m getting a lot of comments from people who are begging me to not make this story NTR. Please relax because other than Jaune’s wife cheating on him, I am not going to involve any more cheating or something of the sort. From right now it will be a story of an alcoholic who is trying to get over his ex wife, and the woman that’s trying to help him.

Jaune woke up with a splitting headache and left with nothing but his boxers on. He groaned in pain as he looked under the covers and let his head drop back, staring up at the white ceiling.

A noise alerted him to the presence of someone else, a wave of pure red hair waving in and out of view from the corner of the kitchen. “H-hullo?” He attempted to speak but his throat was so dry he hacked a deep cough.

The owner of the red hair came around the corner. “Oh, good morning there.” She said cheerfully as she placed a large dish loaded with bacon and eggs, with a stack of toast to go with it. “How are you feeling?” She said as she handed him a coffee.

He took a tentative sip and sighed as his throat rehydrated. “I feel like I’m going to die.” He grumbled as he met her eyes. They were a rather beautiful emerald green.

“Well that tends to happen when you try to swill a whole bottle of whiskey and then try to go home, you also collapsed outside the bar so there’s that as well. Go on, eat up, it’s a shared breakfast.” She said as she reached over and began putting eggs, bacon and toast on her plate.

He reached forward to do the same, his body groaning in protest as he grabbed breakfast. “Thank you.” He said sheepishly.

“Don’t think about it, couldn’t exactly leave you outside the bar now could I? Could’ve gotten mugged or worse.” She said cheerily, her tone belying the seriousness of that topic.

“W-wait, you bought me here?” He asked, surprised.

“Well yes, I am a bouncer as well as a waitress.” She chided him.

“Oh… that’s really cool.” He murmured as he ate his breakfast in silence. Every bite of bacon and every mouthful of toast seemed to make him better.

“When was the last time you ate?” She queried, noticing the effect the food had on him.

“Umm… Lunch yesterday.”

“Wait so you didn’t have anything after you clocked off?” She asked incredulously.

“N-no…” He said, sheepish again.

“No wonder you passed out that hard, you barely had anything in your stomach other than alcohol!” She chided him again.

“Why do you care? I’m just another patron who pays for the shit no one else wants, I am literally clearing out the stuff that’s never been touched for you.” He grumbled.

“You know you shouldn’t really be proud about drinking bottom shelf alcohol…” She murmured.

“Again, why do you care?” He said, looking up at her angrily.

“Cause I know you can be a decent guy, alright? An asshole doesn’t get torn up that bad by… that.” She reasoned.

“Okay yeah sure, but why bring me here and why feed me?”

“Because I didn’t want you to get mugged? And I sure as shit didn’t know where you live. Christ for one being lucky enough that someone gave a damn about a bottom shelf drunk you sure are ungrateful.” She scowled, looking away and sipping her drink.

He stopped eating and put his cutlery down. “You’re… You’re right… I’m sorry, it’s just that… My world has been turned upside down by the person who I was supposed to trust the most, forgive me if I am off colour.”

She hummed slightly before turning back to him. “That’s better… You really loved her didn’t you?”

“You know that feeling you get when you think that someone was going to be ‘the one’? Yeah, I got that with her.” He mumbled miserably.

“Do you know why she did it?”

“I wish I did. Was it because I wasn’t home enough? Maybe I didn’t please her enough? Maybe I was inadequate? I don’t know, and that’s what killing me!” He choked a bit and hurriedly took a sip, falling silent.

“Why is it your fault?” She queried.

“Who else could it be? She didn’t do anything wrong.”

Pyrrha chuckled softly. “No, she’s in the wrong here, as well as that douche she cheated on you with.”

“How so?” He asked, looking up at her.

“Because if there were any issues in the relationship, she should’ve come to you to talk about it, not attempt to get some piece of action on the side. And who knows? Maybe you were enough for anybody else, but maybe she was greedy and wanted more than she could currently have with you?”

“So I didn’t provide enough…” He ssaid fatalistically.

“Do you… ever not think of yourself as not enough? Like I’m sensing a theme here.”

“I had the life, a nice wife and a good job and I was providing for my family, as is expected of me. If I couldn’t provide enough that my wife decided to cheat on me, what does that make me?”

“A poor fucking sap that can’t see the fault in others and can only see the fault in themselves. You know how damaging that mindset is? You could’ve been the richest man in the world and a legitimate sex god and I can guarantee she would’ve done the same. Why? Because people are naturally assholes.” She said with finality as she got back into her food.

“You make it sound like you’ve had a similar situation happened to you before, bad relationship?”

“A complete arsehole who couldn’t have enough of women… Thank fuck I didn’t sleep with him.” Jaune coughed hard at that sudden outburst.

“You’re very open and honest about that sort of stuff aren’t you?”

She stared at him. “I was trying to relate to you.”

“Oh… Thank you…” He said sheepishly.

“So do you have work today?” She asked.

“No, do you?”

“Yes I do. I dunno what you can do today except maybe watch TV or go out, but I’m not going to leave a key with you.”

“Can I come with you to work?”

“What are you going to do there?”

“I dunno, maybe try and help anyway I can?”

“In your boxers?” She asked.

“Ummm maybe I could go home…”

“Will your wife be home?”

“No… she’s gone out for the weekend.” He said miserably.

She sighed and rubbed her head. “If I go with you, will you go get some clothes?”

“Clothes?” He asked, confused.

“Well yes, I’m not letting you live by yourself where you might shoot yourself.” She gestured to the revolver that was in his jacket last night. “Either you were looking for revenge, or a way out. Which one is it? One is murder, the other is suicide?”

“I don’t know.”

“What, you mean to tell me that you bought a gun and wasn’t going to use it?” She asked disbelievingly.

“I don’t know.” He said, a bit louder.

“What would you have to gain from either of those? One leaves you dead in the ground and the other lands you in prison.”

“I don’t know! Okay!? Maybe some part of me wanted revenge because of how I was feeling! I wanted her to discover how I felt when I discovered the truth, the pain I experienced! Maybe I did want to shoot her and her lover!” He yelled out, putting his head in his hands. “I-I was just so sick of it.” He whispered.

“What if I told you that there was a way to get revenge that doesn’t get you killed or in trouble?” She said, throwing some bat out for him.

And he swallowed it easily. “H-how?” He pleaded.

“By living a happy and good life without them. Think about it, she must be getting off to your misery right now, why not rub it in her face and discover a new life with someone?”

“Who? It’s not like there’s a line of women who are eager to have a relationship with me.”

“Alright how did you meet your wife?”

“At a bar…” He said glumly.

“Then go back to bar hopping. Might find someone else new.”

“N-no I can’t… I’m not ready.”

“When will you ever be ready? If you don’t take charge of yourself and start building yourself back together, you’ll be 60 before you get over it.”

He knew what she was saying, but the idea of possibly suffering like that again filled him with dread. “I… I felt like I was going to die. It hurt to breathe, it hurt to see. It hurt to _feel_ … Do you know what that’s like?”

“No I don’t… But have a think about what I said. The best revenge is to show them that you don’t need them to live happily.” She said, standing up and heading to her room. “Hurry up and finish eating, we’re going to get your clothes.” She said, throwing a basic tee and shorts for him. “Don’t worry, they’re baggy.” She said as she disappeared into her room.

He sighed and got up, getting dressed in the clothes she handed to him. While she did say they were baggy, they were obviously a size too short for him. Enough to be a hindrance but not a complete pain in the ass.

She came out in a white long sleeved shirt and dress pants and heeled boots. “You ready?” She asked as she tied her hair into a ponytail.

“I guess I am.”

“Is your house far from here?” She asked as she put on some lipstick.

“No, five minutes at most.”

“Do you drive to work?” She asked as she grabbed her work bag and slung it on her shoulders, heading to the front of the door and gesturing for him to hurry up.

“I got a small car but she took that on her trip… I’ve been mainly arriving to work by bus.” He said glumly.

“Do you ever say no to her?” She asked, amazed as they both got out of her apartment and locked her door.

“No… not really.” He admitted sheepishly.

She shrugged and let him lead to his apartment. It wasn’t a long walk, his prediction was true enough in that regard and soon enough they were scaling the steps to his apartment.

He fumbled around in his pockets and pulled out a key, unlocking the door and leaving ti wide open as he let himself in. “Come in if you want, not like I care.”

She shrugged and entered the apartment. For a guy living by himself, it was rather clean, which surprised her. She looked at the kitchen and only saw one plate in there, further surprising her. She wondered around as he wandered down the hallway to his bedroom. On a small set of drawers there was a picture of him and his wife. She was beautiful, blonde hair and brown eyes and she was smiling. Pyrrha couldn’t help but wonder when she began to cheat, and whether or not she was cheating when this photo was taken.

A noise interrupted her train of thought and she turned around to see Jaune standing there, in his own clothes with a large bag filled with necessities. “I know you’d go searching.” He said gruffly.

“Sorry, I was just interested and what she looked like, considering she demanded so much loyalty and respect from you.” She reasoned.

He stepped forward and grabbed the picture from her. “Yeah well… Not anymore.” He sighed and placed the frame photo side down.

“Are you ready to go?” She asked as she turned to him.

“Yeah… I practically got what I need, some suits and the majority of my clothing and some other personal effects.” He stated.

“Alright, we’ll head to my work and we’ll see what you can do… what can you do?”

“Well I did do my Service of Alcohol license a while back… I can lift boxes and stack stuff, restock the shelves. I guess I could hand out the food? Maybe a bouncer?”

She looked at him sceptically. He didn’t exactly seem particularly strong. “Think you have the physique for it?”

“I did work out frequently before I started coming to your bar.” He defended himself.

“Hmmm alright, Junior will be able to decide the best suitable job for you anyways… Do you have a problem with twins?” She asked randomly, the two exiting the apartment with the door locked.

“No? Why?” He asked, confused.

“Well because you’re going to hate this set of twins… Well, one of them anyways.” She clarified.

And another journey afterwards, Pyrrha came to work with Jaune in tow. “Put your back in the staff room lockers and lock it, the twins are bound to want to go through your stuff. Just sit out in the bar area and I’ll grab Junior for you.” Pyrrha said as she headed off.

Jaune sighed and did as he was told with putting his bag away and sitting down. He looked around and didn’t find anything spectacularly interesting, but that was to change with the entrance of one of the twins. She spotted him and walked over. “Hello, I’m Miltia. Are you the regular or sulks in the corner?” She said.

‘Wow, they do not take any prisoners here.’ He thought as he looked up at her. “Yeah I guess I am… I’m Jaune.”

“Did Melanie bring you over?” She asked, winking slightly.

“W-what? No, Pyrrha did.”

“Pyrrha? You don’t seem her type, but then again she has surprised me before.”

“What? N-no nothing happened between us at all.” Jaune said, blushing deep red.

“Oh nothing at all?” She smirked and leant over to him, her dress giving a show at her cleavage. “Nothing? Not even a little nibble on the neck?” She teased.

“N-nothing, I just stayed overnight is all.” He stammered.

She grinned and stood up, looking him up and down. “You are kind of cute, but I don’t mix work with pleasure sweetie.” She pouted before walking off, leaving Jaune as if he just came out of a minefield.

“What is with these people.” He murmured, holding his head in his hands.

“And what do you mean by that?” A large, gruff voice came from right next to Jaune that almost gave him a heart attack.

Jaune shot up and stuck his hand out on instinct. “N-nothing sir I swear! I just meant that she was eccentric is all!” He stammered.

He rumbled and looked down at him, if Jaune hadn’t known any better, he’d think that he was part bear. “Those twins are my little baby girls. And if you so much as make one of them cry, I am going to make you regret it.” He growled.

“I-I won’t I swear!” Jaune stammered out.

“Good.” He said, leaning away from him and took his hand, testing the strength of his grip. While it had been a long time since Jaune had been to the gym, his grip strength still remained, and he was able to contend with Junior’s hand. “You’re not a complete waste, still have a fair amount of muscle on you and you seem basic enough. Dunno if you’d be a bouncer since you don’t look intimidating, but I imagine we can work on that.”

“Boss, it’s almost time to open up.” Pyrrha said, appearing right next to him.

“Think you can work the floor today, boy?” He asked Jaune, who nodded quietly. “I said, do you think you can work the floor today?” He repeated, expecting an answer.

“Yes sir!” Jaune shouted out of fear.

“Good, Pyrrha show him the ropes when it comes to bouncing, he’ll be in the main area.” Junior said as he disappeared upstairs, jaune finally relaxing now that he was gone.

“I-Is he always that intense?” He asked meekly.

“Normally no, but when it comes to the twins, they are practically his daughters. So I wouldn’t mess with them. I imagine you just met one?”

“Yes, Miltia. She had a red dress on.” Jaune recalled.

“Ahk, I’d like to say otherwise but her twin, Melanie, is a bit worse. Be expected to throw a few people outside when she’s on the floor. At least Miltia likes to keep her relationships outside of work, Melanie is a bit of the opposite.”

“I-I’ll try to keep that in mind.” Jaune mumbled.

“So, you ready to hit the floor with me?” She smiled, making Jaune stop a bit and realise how beautiful she really was.


	6. Repression, Anxiety, Depression and Hope

Jaune collapsed on the sofa at Pyrrha’s apartment, utterly spent after his first day of Bouncing. It wasn’t too bad, he had to admit. Majority of the clients were well behaved and well mannered, so he didn’t have to step in too much, however he did have to throw out one patron who got too handsy with Melanie, much to his chagrin.

“I suppose you aren’t surprised that I had to throw him out?” Jaune asked his roommate as she was in the kitchen, the kittling bubbling and boiling.

“No not at all, it is one of her constant behaviours to tease men into getting a bit too physical than what we allow and then she asks all goodie two shoes. The regulars know what she’s like so they just mainly ignore her, but she gets a newbie or a desperate guy every now and then.”

“And Junior just allows this?” Jaune asked, feeling like there should be something done about it.

“You going to tell him that you think one of his baby girls is being too promiscuous?” She laughed, bending over the table to give him a sceptical look.

He opened his mouth before closing it and thinking. Most likely the reaction to that course of action would’ve been him smeared across the back wall. “Yeah… you’re right, good point.”

“Any who don’t worry about it, from what I saw you’re capable of kicking ass and that’s enough for Junior to keep you.” Pyrrha said with confidence.

“I’m still amazed at how small your staff is… Like there’s you, Junior, the Twins and another barkeep. Shouldn’t there be any more?” Jaune asked, perplexed as he stood up from the couch and went over to the kitchen.

“Mmmm well Junior doesn’t really do what most clubs do and cater to the young and rowdy. We prefer our patrons to be respectable and dependable. So that’s why you don’t see us packed to the rafters all too often. It’s just the way Junior’s always done it.” She shrugged her shoulders and poured her and Jaune both a coffee. “Any sugars?”

“No thank you, I’m sweet enough.” Jaune said automatically as he reached into the pantry.

Pyrrha snorted and covered her face in shame of laughing at that. “Jaune… That was bloody awful.” She snorted again.

“Oh… Yeah you right that was pretty dang bad.” He chuckled and sighed, placing his food on the counter and slipping into a brooding mood, his eyes seeing the tabletop but his brain not comprehending what was in front of him.

“Jaune?” She asked as she didn’t hear anything else from him, turning around as she was worried. “Jaune.” She said again, more firmly this time as she reached out.

Her voice was as if she was at the end of a long tunnel, and thus echoed dully in his skull. His hearing weakened until all he could hear was the beating of his heart. The past few days replayed in his head, repeating and repeating. Flashes of hotness and coldness filling his body as his heart went through its pain again. The hotness of the pure humiliation and anguish that filled his face and body at being cheated on combined with the coldness of realising that he was all alone in this.

“Jaune.” Pyrrha spoke again, grabbing his shoulder and shaking it a little.

He shook a bit and came to the present, looking around before staring into her vivid green eyes. “O-oh… Pyrrha… Hey.” He said dully as his body became numb, almost as if his heart and mind were trying to prevent him from relapsing into the pure emotional pain that nearly became physical.

“You okay?” She said softly, her soft and cool hand gracing his face, feeling the burning heat. “You’re burning up something fierce.”

“Ahhh Yeah… I’m sorry… I’m the kind of guy to feel everything unfiltered and raw, and sometimes that just translates into me feeling emotions without anything to dumb it down…” He said glumly as he left with his snack and went back to the bench.

Pyrrha watched him leave before sighing and rolling her neck. “I have to go grab some groceries for dinner alright? Do you mind if I head out for a bit?” She asked as she grabbed her purse and tied her hair up again.

“No… Not really.” To be honest, he didn’t feel like eating or drinking anything at all. His gut wrenched and turned up on himself as he relived the pain of the past week.

She looked at him a bit longer before resigning herself and closing the door behind her, locking it for his safety, before heading down the stairs of the apartment complex.

Having left Jaune alone, she grabbed her scroll and rang a number. The person on the other end picked up nearly immediately with a sultry “Hello.”

“Melanie, you know how I hate how you try to flirt with me on the phone.” Pyrrha asked, aggravated a little as she arrived at a set of lights. It was calm for the time of day, everyone must’ve gone home and rugged up as it was getting into the colder temperatures.

“But you respond so so well my little Redhead… So what can this Temptress do for you? It’s not like we’re at work so I don’t remember a reason as to why we are conversing with each other.” Melanie asked as she painted her toes a different colour. Miltia was on the sofa next to her watching TV, only taking a passing interest in the phone conversation.

“Well you remember Jaune? Of course you do. You seem to have a knack of remembering every poor sap you torment.” Pyrrha corrected herself as she began to cross the crosswalk, ignoring a wolf whistling man.

“Oh come now that’s just mean. But yes I do remember that cute blonde. Why? You interested in him yourself?” Melanie smirked, twirling her hair around her finger as she teased Pyrrha.

“No you sex crazed demon. I am not interested in him… But I need your help giving his life a bit of a light up.” Pyrrha admitted as she saw the convenience store in the distance.

“Alright I’ll bite, what do you want to do?” Melanie asked, setting her nail brush aside and sighing.

“Do you think you could take him out for a night or two and make him forget about his wife temporarily? He’s really beaten up about it. I just found him phasing out _real_ hard, it was almost as if I didn’t exist to him when I tried to get his attention.” Pyrrha said, a car coming up behind her grabbing her attention.

“Yikes that bad huh? I guess I was wrong about what I said before… Wouldn’t be the first time wouldn’t it?” Melanie admitted, sighing as she started on her finger nails.

“Yeah. Hang on let’s talk later, there’s a wanker trying to hit on me.” She sighed and hung up, looking at the car. “Can you kindly get lost? I’m not interested.”

“Oh come on don’t be like that, I’m sure we can show you a good time.” The creepy dude said, a slimy smile gracing his face as he stuck his head out of the driver side door.

“Look asshole, I ain’t interested in the 1 minute you’d last with a woman, and I wouldn’t even be interested if you could last longer than that. So fuck off.” She hissed, her patience growing thinner by the second.

“What did you say to me you little whore?” The guy and his buddy got out of the car, making a move on her.

“Oh yeah this is how it’ll go. I’ll bust your balls, break your friend’s jaw and maybe poke your eyes out. But you can avoid this sad night for the low low price of leaving me the fuck alone.” Pyrrha said, putting down her purse and rolling her neck.

“Someone’s gotta teach you a lesson you bitch.” He grunted as he made a move on her.

But too late, she was already two steps ahead of him. She stepped forward and twisted, slamming her elbow into his solar plexus and carried through, throwing him on his ass. Immediately transferring to his friend, she performed a savage right hook followed by a lightning fast jab in the throat, forcing his eyes to water. Finally, to finish it she clapped his ears harshly to set them ringing before delivering a devastated left haymaker, breaking his jaw just like she promised.

The original goon got up just in time to see his friend hit the pavement and have second thoughts on leaving. But Pyrrha wouldn’t give him the chance as she surged forward and punched him in the throat, grabbing his head and used the momentum of him doubling over to drive her knee into his chin. She then grabbed his head again and rammed it against the closest signpost before kneeing him twice in the groin, thus completing her promise before the beginning of the fight. Finally done with him, she delivering a bone breaking jab to his nose to send him stumbling onto his car with said nose broken.

Pyrrha sighed in cathartic relief, before realising that she probably broke her hand. Grunting in resignation she reached down to grab her purse and continued onwards to the convenience store, leaving the two guys to pick themselves up and get lost in the cold frigid night.

_At the apartment_

Jaune couldn’t keep his breathing steady no matter how hard he tried. He kept staring down at his feet, his head pounding as his internal torment continued. Soon enough, the small voice in the back of his head began to speak.

‘You are nothing. She left for a good reason. She deserved better. How can you suck so much at being a husband? I bet he could pleasure her more than you could. Why don’t you just admit that you’re a failure? Why don’t you just kill yourself?’

That voice continued again and again, before being joined by other voices until his head was a cacophony of ringing torments and scathing remarks. His hand fumbled for the gun he thought he saw, his vision blurry from tears and sweat as he tried to keep himself under control. However, he couldn’t find the gun at all, and he fell off the couch fumbling for any sight of it.

He got himself off the floor and lurched towards the kitchen, scattering a few objects here and there as he fumbled into a cabinet, before withdrawing a bottle of whiskey. It was less than half full, but it would be enough for him. He popped the cap off and took a swig directly from the bottle, the voices quietening down considerably as he took a second swig.

He stole a glance at what seemed like the gun he lost, scrambling over to grab it and lurching over to the couch again, the apartment silent except for the air-conditioning. He gazed at the bottle and began to spin the cylinder of the revolver, pointing it to his head. _Click_

_Back at the Store_

“Hello Pyrrha! It’s been a while, how are you?” The friendly store owner said as she entered the store, looking around for what she needed.

It was a quiet shop, only two other people in it due to how late in the night it was, and the only noise that was made was the slushie machine and the aircon.

“I’ve been alright, how are you? How’s the wife and kid?” She asked as she wondered in between the aisles, taking a basket with her. First what she needed were the basic fruits and vegetables like bananas, apples, potatoes and tomatoes and the like.

“They been good, the wife put in some hours here recently to help things move along. But to be honest I’m thinking of either closing down or selling this place.” The owner groaned as he stretched his back. He wasn’t an old man by any stretch of the imagination, but the years of being a dad and the toll of owning and organising your own grocery store was heavy on him.

Next was the milk, eggs, flour and bacon. “Oh really? That’s a shame, because I really don’t go anywhere else but here when I need my groceries, everywhere else is either too expensive, too far away or too… over the top.”

“Yeah I get that… But don’t worry it won’t be for a while at least. Maybe next year or the year after.” He said, taking out a smoke and lighting it, taking a deep breath from it. “Ohh you seem to be getting more food than what you normally get. Got a guy over?” He said, smiling softly.

“Mmm I guess yes. A bloke I picked up from outside the bar yesterday.” Pyrrha admitted as she grabbed a few small things like honey, garlic and some different selections of meat.

“Never took you as one to pick up from the pub, love.” He commented, grinning from ear to ear.

She chuckled and smiled softly. “No it’s not like that… His wife cheated on him and he basically became a dreg, doing nothing but work and drink… Finally I found him outside the bar with a bottle of whiskey all over him and a gun in his waist pocket.” She said glumly as she laid the basket on the counter.

“Ah fuck really? Poor bastard… Hey Pyrrha I know that I don’t come across as serious, but take it from a guy whose gone down that road before… What he needs right now is for someone to hold him tight, tighter than what is comfortable, tighter than anyone ever has, and don’t let go. He will cry and cry and bawl his eyes out, he will wail. But he has every right to be. But right now, he needs someone whom he could break down in front of, someone who won’t judge him. You make the perfect candidate since the relationship between you two is still uncertain. So, if you do see him down in the dumps again, or in an alcoholic fit. Just hug him, alright? I wish I had someone who could’ve just let me break down, it helps a man build himself up, it does.” He said this as he was scanning her items, keeping eye contact with her majority of the time.

“Hmmm yeah you’re right… It’s just I don’t wanna hurt him by setting him up with false hopes, you know what I mean?” Pyrrha asked, looking back at him.

“I do… but that’s a bridge you’ll have to cross when you get to it. The man’s crying his heart out Pyrrha, he’ll search for anything in a desperate attempt to fill that hole left in his heart. It is up to you whether you fill it yourself or find someone else who will. Because no one deserves to have that hole.” He responded, packing the foodstuffs away and handing the bag over to her as she paid for it.

“Yeah… Thanks, I’ll see you later.” She said, heading out of the store and on her way to the apartment.

It was an uneventful walk back to the apartment. The two thugs she destroyed had gone, but she smirked as she found a tooth at the side of the curb. “Huh… I still got it.” She said, leaving the tooth alone and continued on her journey.

She breathed out and it steamed out in front of her, causing her to shiver and rub her hands. “I hope Jaune is okay, did I leave the aircon on?” She wondered as she crossed the street and scaled the stairs to her apartment floor.

“ **How could she leave me like this!? I did everything I possibly could but nothing would satisfy that bitch!** ” A roar could be heard from her apartment floor, and as she got closer, she could hear it coming from her apartment specifically. Worried intensely she quickly grabbed out her keys and unlocked the door, barging her way in.

There she saw Jaune clutching an empty bottle of whiskey and handling the gun. Her heart froze as she saw him wave the gun dangerously. She had no idea if there was ammunition in it, she thought she hid it well enough but he could’ve found it. So the best course of action was to calm him down. “J-Jaune please… put the gun down.”

“ **I dunno what I could done any differently!? I fucking loved that whore!** ” He bellowed as he waved around, the gun swinging to and fro.

“Jaune please just listen to me, put the gun down!” Pyrrha ordered, this time more harshly.

But he wouldn’t listen to him and spun the cylinder, pointing it to his head. She surged forward in an instant and pushed him hard up against the wall, her hand pointing his gun hand away from the both of them. She wrenched his grip away from the gun and threw it on the floor, going back to look at him.

“Jaune? Jaune, listen to me.” She murmured as she slapped his face softly.

He grumbled and tried to focus on her face. “Y-yes?” He slurred.

“Can you hear me?” She said again, grabbing his face and forcing him to look at her.

“Yeah… Kinda… Just pleash… Pleash jusht get rid of thesh voicesh. They hurt!” He cried pitifully, collapsing on himself.

She embraced him softly and let him slowly to the floor, holding him close. He choked and sobbed into his hands as he collapsed to the floor with her support, nearly curling up in the foetal position.

He heaved and coughed, his eyes and noise ran like a faucet tap and his whole body shivered and writhed with emotional agony as he fought through this episode of pain. Pyrrha held onto him tightly and didn’t let go, nearly squeezing the life out of him and burying her face into his back and she caressed and held the sobbing mass whose name was Jaune.

It wasn’t until half an hour had passed that Jaune was fast asleep, to which Pyrrha sighed gratefully. She hauled him onto the sofa couch and covered him with a blanket, tucking him in nice and tight before turning around to look at the place.

It wasn’t actually that bad, all he seemed to resign himself too was just hurling abuse at the air and screaming, so nothing was really broken. She found the gun from before and picked it up gingerly and checked the cylinder. Nothing was loaded, which was a relief, but the fact that he was still spinning that revolver and clicking it against his head worried her tremendously. She bit her lip and looked over at him. “You need to get help Jaune, or this will kill you.” She whispered as she left for her room, putting the gun somewhere he would never find it.


	7. Old Endings and New Beginnings

When Jaune woke up, he experienced a pounding headache like never before. His head ached like someone slammed it repeatedly with a hammer. Every heartbeat bought on a new wave of pain that forced him to squint his eyes, despite having them closed. He groaned and attempted to rub his forehead to soothe the pain but to no avail. He could smell the hint of coffee in the air and the local tramline was clattering along its tracks. Cars drove past in that iconic _woosh_ sound and somewhere in the complex, a baby cried.

"Good morning, Sleepy Head." A female voice came from his right, jolting him completely awake with another groan, the current light being too harsh for his hungover mind.

He turned over to look in her general direction, rubbing his eyes to soothe that ache. "Good morning." He grumbled. He sighed and slowly sat up, sitting his head in his hands.

"Seemed like you had a crazy night last night." Pyrrha commented, stating the obvious. Jaune knew what she was talking about, the previous night had not left his memories, despite his attempts to forget everything these past couple of weeks.

"That I did." He admitted, slowly opening his eyes while they became adjusted.

"Wanna talk about it?" She asked. He could now see she was sitting opposite to him in her PJs, a mug of hot coffee in her hand.

He shook his head. "No… Not really no."

"Well I think a talk is in order." She stated simply, peering at him over her mug.

"It's none of your business, really." He grumbled.

"Oh really? It's none of my business when you get into an alcohol induced rage and scream at the top of your lungs in my apartment? Disturbing the neighbours and possibly have the cops called on you? It's none of my business?" She interrogated, her posture taut.

"Look I'm sorry about that okay? I took a drink and… I got into it too much…" He mumbled morosely.

"You need to get help Jaune. That is one of my conditions while you're living here. You get help for your alcoholism." She stated, her tone brooked no argument.

"Living here?" He said, confused.

"Yes. You've moved into my apartment have you not?" She rhetorically asked.

"I thought this was a temporary thing." He responded, by now his stomach grumbled and groaned for something substantial.

Pyrrha stood up and went over to the kitchen, coming back with a plate of toast, bacon, and eggs. "It is up to you. I am willing to accept you as a tenant, provided that you cover your part of the bills and whatnot." She stated, placing the plate in front of him.

He numbly grabbed a piece of toast and nibbled on it, his stomach groaning in appreciation as it accepted the morsels of food. Living with Pyrrha… While that wasn't an unattractive situation for him, he felt in the back of his head that it would cause major problems for them both.

"You'd accept me into your place?" He asked.

"As I said, my conditions are that you get help for your alcoholism, you cover your part of the bills and only consume alcohol under my supervision." She clarified.

"What, are you baby sitting me now?" He grumbled.

"You lost your privilege to drink by yourself when you became enraged and drunk in my apartment. You searched through the cabinets and found alcohol, upon which you consumed copious amounts. You should thank your lucky stars I don't throw you out on your ass, because I'm willing to bet that most people aren't happy to come home to a drunken man in a rage who drank all of the whiskey." She fired off, her irises sharpened in suppressed anger.

He fell silent during that tirade. She was right, he had no right to be upset over her conditions since he made them necessary in the first place. So he settled his wounded pride and gratefully took a piece of bacon, chewing on it. It was chewy, the best type of bacon in his opinion. It was salty and lightly smoked with the edged slightly crisped. Now that he acknowledged the presence of the breakfast, he could smell the toast and bacon in the air.

Pyrrha realised that he silently accepted her conditions and nodded. "Thank you, you've made this a lot easier on me." She reached over and patted his cheek. "Now I don't have work today, and the twins have promised you a night of fun. Don't worry, I trust them more than anyone else to be honest." She said, noticing Jaune's worried glance in her direction.

"But won't they make me consume alcohol?" He asked, confused at what seemed like a double standard.

"Melanie will be tempted to get you drunk yes, but she knows that you need a night of fun and not a night of getting trashed. Miltia is also a sensible girl in her own way, she'll treat you well. And plus, she's a sucker for guys like you." She giggled.

"Guys like me?" He dreaded what that could mean. He reached over and grabbed an egg and placed it on a buttered piece of toast and bit into it. It was at that middle ground of having some yolk that was runny, while the rest was fried. The butter on the toast comingled with the egg and made a lovely savoury union in his mouth.

"Don't worry it's not a bad thing. She just likes to help guys who have had it rough. Look at yourself, you're an honest guy who works and tries his best to be a good bloke, but life just gave you an unfair hand here and there. I'm not saying she's attracted to you by any means, but let's just say that she is empathetic to your situation. She'll look after you, don't worry." She clarified, taking a large sip out of her coffee. Now that she drew attention to it, Jaune realised how ridiculously oversized the mug was. It was brown and easily the size of a small bowl, it seemed like a mug that was more meant for soups rather than coffee.

He nodded and chewed absentmindedly on his toast, his face a blank expression as he attempted to process what has happened, but his mind simply forbade him from doing so. He almost didn't hear Pyrrha's next question. "What?" He asked.

"I said, what are your plans for today?" She repeated.

He stayed silent for a moment while he thought it over. One of the more pressing matters was his… marriage. Could he even call it that at this point? It was a sham, a farce. It was in all honesty, a joke. And it was time that he began the journey of moving on, because brooding over the past was going to drive him in an early grave. "I'm… I'm going to have to get my marriage annulled or get a divorce. Are those the same thing?" He wondered.

"From what I know, annulment is when the court or church acknowledges that the marriage never happened. As in its struck from the record. A divorce is when the court acknowledges that the marriage did exist and that both parties are separated. Annulment might be a bit more expensive though. But I guess it depends on what you want." She clarified.

"How do you know all of that?" He asked, surprised at her knowledge of the subject.

"One of my highschool friends wanted to become a marriage counsellor or a celebrant that focussed primarily on marriages. I had to listen to her droning on and on about regulations and laws and definitions." Pyrrha smirked ruefully at the memories.

"Ah… sounds like a painful existence."

"Oh like you wouldn't believe. She was really into the whole lovey dovey shit when it came to marriage."

Jaune fell silent again as the word 'marriage' bought him back to his original plan. Where they lived the laws on divorce were slightly more lenient than other places. His spouse doesn't have to agree to the divorce or sign the papers for it to become legally acknowledged, that was a blessing. But then came the part that he feared the most, giving her what she's owed. "W-would I have to give her anything?" He asked.

Pyrrha thought on it for a bit. "I think if the reason is due to infidelity on her behalf then you should be fine, but I wouldn't bank on that." A thought came to mind. "Do you have anyone who could pose as a witness to her infidelity?"

"Yeah… My best friend Ren, who was the one who told me about her… cheating." He quietened down at the end, having difficulty coming to grips with reality.

"That might help your case. But you don't have to make a court appearance immediately. So you can just ride it out a bit. Of course you're going to have to send her the papers to tell her you're gonna leave her ass but that can easily be done without any interaction." Pyrrha said, that idea giving her a small sense of satisfaction.

Jaune nodded and finished his breakfast. "C-can you come with me to get the paperwork sorted and signed? Please?"

Seeing him in such a state tugged at her heartstrings. How could she say no to him? "Alright, just because you said please. We'll go out and have a nice lunch together afterwards. Sound good?" She asked.

He nodded and went back to his plate, finishing it off quickly and sitting back with an appreciative sigh. "Thanks…"

She sensed that he thanked her for more than just the breakfast. "For what?"

"For… lookings after me these past few days and giving me a place to stay… I know it's not easy to accept a stranger into your home and… I'm grateful for that." He mumbled, looking down at his feet.

"You're very welcome… It's nice to be able to make a difference." Pyrrha said warmly, a smile gracing her face.

He smiled back before his phone rang, startling them both. Jaune reached over and looked at the number, not recognising it. He sighed a deep breath and accepted the call, putting the phone to his ear.

"Hey there tiger!" The flirtatious voice of Melanie came through the other side. "It's been a while since I've seen you, how are you?"

Jaune sat there with his mouth opened. Pyrrha looked at him quizzically while he turned on loudspeaker. "H-hello Melanie, I am good… H-how are you?" He stammered.

"I'm fine, just enjoying a nice morning planning your night out." She giggled, flipping through a magazine while Miltia was on the other side of the sofa, a notebook in hand.

"Are you planning it already?" Pyrrha spoke.

"Oh my hey there Pyrrha! Slept with him yet?" She teased again, her voice dripping with provocation.

Pyrrha sighed and rubbed her forehead. "No, I haven't." She said, her voice clipped.

"You better hurry there Redhead, otherwise another woman might steal him from you." Miltia cooed.

"Why are you so fascinated in setting me up with a man?" Pyrrha asked, getting agitated.

"Because you're a lonely, beautiful girl who quite honestly could use a lay, but don't tell anyone I said that." She giggled.

She sighed and resigned herself to this. "Oh how thoughtful of you. What do you want?"

"I'm just calling letting Jauney boy know that Miltia and I are about to rock his socks off, and he's going to have **so** many memories of us, just you wait!" She giggled flirtatiously.

"Please prevent yourself from seducing him would you? I know it'd be really hard for you but please try to reign in your vagina." Pyrrha replied scathingly.

"Oh come on Red, we're show him a great time he'll never ever forget. We'll be one of his fondest memories." Miltia laughed lightly before Melanie leant over and whacked her on the head. "Ow! That hurt!"

"Good, stop teasing the poor girl and get to the point." Miltia told her as she went back to the notebook.

"Alright well Miltia and I thought a nice night out at a restaurant to get some food into him before going to the most famous pub in the city!"

Pyrrha's face dropped to the floor. "Oh no, you mean The Ritz don't you?"

Miltia grinned on the other side of the phone. "You know it, he's gonna have a blast of a time."

"Just as long as you take care of him… The Ritz isn't a place to lose someone." Pyrrha warned.

"I know I know don't worry about it. Us girls will look after him." She soothed the redhead. "Alright Jauney I'll let you know when we are on our way to pick you up. Make sure to dress your absolute best! We sure will." She cooed into the phone before hanging up, leaving Jaune torn between a state of semi-arousal, interest, fear and dread.

"They are gonna eat me alive aren't they?" Jaune mumbled to himself more than Pyrrha.

"My worry stems from where you are going, but we'll discuss that later. Ready to go and file these papers?" She asked, standing up and disappearing into her bedroom to change.

He stood up and reached over for his bag, pulling out a pair of jeans and a polo shirt. Resigning himself to his fate he undressed himself of his clothing from the previous night and slipped on the new set of clothes. He felt a bit better, whether or not it was the clothes or the food or both he could not tell.

By the time he was done, Pyrrha came out of her bedroom, causing him to glance over. She wore a modest black skirt that fell to her calves, with a white blouse. Jaune could see that she wore black heels to go with the skirt and a small red and gold clutch in her hand. Her face featured a small application of powder, with smoky black eyeshadow expertly done and her lips coloured in scarlet. "Ready to go?" She asked as she brushed her untied hair that was a lustrous burgundy red.

A small amount of blush creeped into his cheeks while he looked at her. Again he was reminded that she was indeed a very beautiful girl, and the outfit she wore fitted her very well in his opinion. He actually felt slightly underdressed when compared to her, looking down to straighten out his jeans and polo. "Make me look like a rag man." He chuckled.

She smiled softly at him. "Well you don't always have to dress your best. I just dress like this whenever I can because I mainly wear suits to work. This feels… liberating in a way." She twirled around to accentuate her point, the skirt gliding gracefully and gathering around her calves.

"It looks really good on you…" Jaune looked away after saying that, his ears burning red.

"Awww aren't you sweet." She walked over and patted his cheek before going to the door, looking back at him. "Are you coming?"

"Oh yeah… right." He jolted himself back to reality, grabbing his wallet and phone, going to the door and exiting it. He waited for her to lock and close it before beginning the long walk to the local courthouse.

It was a pleasant walk, the sun was shining brightly and the street was active with cars and bike riders. There were lines upon lines of cars parked up on the curb, their owners nowhere to be seen. All Jaune could hear was the soft _kathump_ of his shoes hitting the pavement being overridden by Pyrrha's heels making loud **clack** s as they made contact with the concrete pavers that made up the sidewalk. Her hair swayed from side to side with her movement as her skirt always trailed behind her. The sun graced their bodies with a lukewarm light, frost that hadn't been melted yet coated the bottoms of the windows of the apartments they passed, the small leaves of grass valiantly sprouting out in between the concrete pavers coated in dew. Somewhere a dog barked, a child squealed, and a car rumbled to life.

"This is so peaceful… It's not quiet by any means but… I feel at peace here." Jaune said aloud.

Pyrrha looked over and smiled. "I know how you feel. It feels nice knowing that a city is full of life."

The peace between them was broken as their destination came into view. It loomed over them like a giant would loom over an ant, the shadows it casted were absolute and malicious. Jaune swallowed while he looked up at the crest on the front of the building. His hearing dulled until he only heard his heartbeat.

**Badumpbadumpbadumpbadumpbadumpbadump**

His throat constricted while he forced air though his lungs, inhaling vast quantities of that precious resource. If his hand was held together by screws and bolts it would've shook itself apart. He reached over to grab it with his other hand, only to realise that it shook as well.

Pyrrha glanced at him and saw how he reacted. His whole body vibrated, and small spasms wracked his core. She reached over to caress his arm. "You okay?"

He sucked in another deep breath and shook his head. "N-no… What if I'm wrong what if I'm just a deadbeat what if I'm just a poor excuse for a husband what if I can't divorce her do I want to divorce her maybe I'm wrong about this whole thing can we please go home I'm so sorry."

She stood there, eyes wide as Jaune talked himself into a frenzy. His pupils dilated and his nostrils flared and receded in quick succession. Her face fell as she realised the breadth of what was happening. Everything that he had suppressed these past few weeks, with the drinking, the betrayal and the dissolution of his marriage all came crashing down on him.

She tenderly extended a hand and softly took hold of his. His body jerked reactively, nearly tearing his hand out of hers. But she kept a grip, her thumb rubbing the back of his hand. Once she had gotten into that, she reached over and took his other hand, replicating what she was doing with the other. "Look at me Jaune… Look at me." She murmured.

Her voice was muffled in his ears. He felt his hands being embraced by hers, causing him to look down and peer into her green eyes. Those eyes captivated him, swimming in their depth and locked behind their shape. He kept looking, noticing the subtle way her irises became darker shades of green the closer it got to her pupil. He could see the multiple layers and the pure artform behind them, the small lines that defined areas of the iris. It was as if someone poured different shades of green on top of each other on a blank canvas.

She squeezed his hands slightly. "Come back to me Jaune." She said, louder this time.

He took another deeper, but steadier, breath and exhaled. His hearing returned to a manageable level and his body shook less. He nodded to psyche himself up and breathed again. "L-lets d-do this."

The two began to scale the formidable steps towards the entrance. The archway gave off the aura as if all those who passed underneath it would be judged. Jaune felt the hair on the back of his neck raise as they entered the foyer, a row of desks manned by people stretched far. On the floor laid coloured lines that each led to a separate desk. The pair looked at a small sign that showed a legend explaining what the colours stood for.

They followed the blue line, towards the desk meant for filing divorce papers. The person at the desk looked up at them with sharp eyes. Without saying a word, they handed over an envelope and directed them to a booth. Jaune took the envelope and proceeded to the booth, the claustrophobic nature of it not helping his anxiety. He opened the envelope and was presented with two sheets of paper stacked on each other. The first layer was for imprinted on the second layer of paper, allowing for two forms to be filled at once.

He froze with inaction; it was easy to say you'll divorce your wife but actually going through the act was something else. Realising that he had already come this far to stop, he sighed and reached over for a pencil and began filling in the details. It took more time than he thought it would take, as the form was crammed with details that demanded to be filled. Details such as his marriage history, how long the marriage had been going for, the reasons for divorce, whether or not the other spouse was informed of the decision to divorce.

Once the form was filled, he placed them in the envelope and sealed it, placing it in a collection bin before walking out.

As he passed under that archway, he felt a weight lift off his shoulders that almost made him collapse from relief. His shoulders were higher and his back straighter, his head no longer drooped.

As they exited the building and went on the steps, Jaune collapsed into a pile. Tears ran from his face as he finally came to realise what just happened… He was free. He was free from marriage, he was no longer held down by the expectations of marriage. His wife's infidelity did not reflect on him anymore. He no longer felt trapped by the traditions.

Pyrrha knelt down and rubbed his back, softly shushing. "Are you okay?" She whispered.

"I-I'm free." Was all he could choke out. It took a little bit for him to regain his composure, but soon enough he stood up straight with a clean face and Jaune thought the sun felt warmer than before.

"So, are you ready to spend the rest of the day having some fun?" Pyrrha asked as she bent forward in front of him, peering up at him with a wide smile, before straightening up, her hair swaying in the breeze that began to develop.

He sighed and rubbed his face, swallowing with some difficulty. He took a deep, slow breath, and thought that the air smelt sweet. Finally, he looked to her and gave her a weak smile. "Yeah… Let's have a fun day."


	8. A Night At the Ritz

“Do I look good in this?” Jaune asked worriedly, staring at himself in the mirror. He and Pyrrha had gone out shopping to get an outfit for tonight and Pyrrha absolutely loved the look on him. It was a simple combination of a top which was a simple and crisp long-sleeved formal top. Paired with it were navy-blue formal slacks which were held up by a dark brown belt adorned with a simple, silver belt buckle. To complement the slacks were a pair of light-brown leather shoes.

“Of course you do. You’ve got that rugged look to you, not an inch of baby fat on your face.” She giggled and pulled on his cheek. She told the truth, his previous life at the gym and his decent metabolism ensured his body was toned and well kept.

She wore an equally stylish dress. It’s deep red shade accentuated her hair colour and the backless nature of it was alluring enough to be enticing but fashionable enough to be allowed into clubs, further enhanced by a small slit in the side that rode from the ankle to just above the knee. Her dark red heels clacked as she walked away to grab her classic red and gold clutch.

“Yeah but this is the first time in a while that I’ve gone out for something like this… How do girls do this so often? I got butterflies in my stomach.” He mumbled, rubbing his midsection in a vain attempt to soothe the queasiness.

“You’ll be fine. There’s nothing to worry about, those girls are practically veterans at this, and I’ll be there with you. Everything will go alright, keep calm alright?” She smiled and patted his head.

“Alright alright… It’s just… I only just sent the papers today…” He murmured, looking down at his feet.

“And you still feel like you are cheating on your ex-wife?”

He nodded silently, drawing a small sigh from her. She grabbed his arm, causing him to look at her. “You are about to open a new chapter in your life. A chapter where you can truly be happy with yourself and who you want to be. Why not start that chapter with something good?”

She did speak the truth, he really didn’t have any obligation to her and any further anguish would’ve been caused by him being hung up on his ex. Maybe he should learn to let it go, starting today. He gave a small smile. “There we go, now let’s go have some fun tonight shall we?”

The two filed out of the apartment and locked the door behind them. The area took on a different air with the setting of the sun and the rising of the moon. It felt primal in a sort of way. Where at night your greatest fantasies can come to life and you can achieve the greatest thrills, while simultaneously it is the most dangerous. Shadows darkened and lengthened, small noises became deafening sounds, the moon played tricks on the eyes to make people see things that weren’t there.

Pyrrha looped her arm around Jaune’s and the pair set off in the direction of the club, where they would meet up with the twins. The walk itself was nearly surreal, it felt like they had undertaken a grand and perilous adventure that they would not be safe from until they return to their unit.

“So all you need to do tonight is just have fun and roll with it. The girls are pretty street smart, so they know how to look after themselves, which means you won’t have to babysit them. Might have to take them home, depending on how hard they go.” Pyrrha mused before checking her watch.

“Dad always taught me that if you escort a lady you are responsible for that lady until you take her home. He was a bit old fashioned like that.” Jaune stated.

“Oh really, huh… Sounds like a nice man.” Pyrrha thought. Now that he mentioned it he didn’t really talk about his personal life at all, then again neither did she. They just seemed to be good roommates who don’t let the other in on what’s going on in their personal life. This bothered her slightly, why doesn’t he confide in her? Doesn’t he trust her enough to at least break down that wall?

While she thought about this agonisingly, the pair turned a corner to see another pair whom Jaune could not mistake for anyone else but the twins.

From what he could tell Miltia was the more responsible one, but not foreign to fun and her dress showed it. It was a red and black one dress with the skirt that stopped to the calves to show off black heels that enhanced her short stature. The top was strapless with a plunging neckline to show off what she knew she had, and she was proud to show it What made it more tantalising was a necklace with a long chain that made the symbol of the Yggdrasil tree sit just above her cleavage. Her black hair was curled slightly around her shoulders and it was evident that she cared for it. It was springy and bouncy, the depth of the colour nearly shining off the streetlights and the texture was similar to silk. In her hands was a black clutch and her ears were adorned with small pearls in a swirling cage of silver. She knew she had it, she knew how to have fun without giving it all, leaving more much more to the imagination.

On the other hand, it seemed like Melanie revelled in showing her natural beauty. No less fashionable than her sister, her dress started as a stark white at the top before gradually turning into a dark blue as it got closer to the end of the skirt, which stopped just above the knees. Her top was also strapless with an even deeper neckline than her sisters, showing full display on what she knew she had. Her black hair was up in a perfectly maintained ponytail, the hair forming seamlessly and falling gracefully. It was no less cared for than her sister’s, the streetlights nearly shining off it and enhancing its texture which was akin to silk. Her ears were adorned with a pair of gold earrings in the shape of a teardrop that tinkled and sparkled whenever she moved. Her neck sported an elegantly designed white choker. Like her sister she matched her heels with her dress and in her hands was a white clutch.

Jaune grinned at the two during his approach and stopped in front of them. “Wow you two look stunning!” He exclaimed.

The pair giggled before Melanie came over and gave a hug, locking her arms around the back of his head and squeezing her chest against his. She let out a small purr. “Mmm you smell good and feel warm too.” She giggled and sighed in his ear.

Jaune stood there, not knowing what to do. In his mind there were so many alarms going off that he couldn’t pick them up. His boner alarm rang, his warning alarm rang, his manners alarm rang. All of these and more kept bouncing in his head while his body went into autopilot. He hugged her instinctively, holding her close which gave her more opportunity to snuggle up to him again. A cough from Miltia separated the two before she came up to Jaune and hugged him too. Thankfully, she was much more merciful than her sister, only wrapping her arms around his chest and giving him a squeeze before separating.

Now that Jaune calmed down he could smile again. “Alright so are we ready for tonight?” He asked. The twins nodded and Pyrrha did too, smiles all around as the twins turned around and began to make their way towards The Ritz.

Jaune expected from how swanky the name sounded that it would be a very popular nightclub. But he did not expect it in this way. It wasn’t a regular nightclub with blinding lights and deafening music, but seemingly like a nightclub the affluent would attend. The couches were plush and a scarlet red that broke up the warm cream and soft amber lighting and wall colouring. The area was lit up so well that it was like stepping into a casino or a restaurant. But this was before they could enter.

Three large bouncers blocked the door, upon which Melanie flashed a card and they let her and the rest of them through with little hassle, passed a long line of hopefuls. Jaune blinked at the ease of which they entered, which Miltia saw. “Junior is one of the alcoholic drink consultants for The Ritz, which means we get a few benefits too.” She winked and smiled.

Now that Jaune finally entered he could see how mercurial the atmosphere was. There were dozens of chandeliers and single lamps that hung from the ceiling, the lights shone brightly in the venue. Despite the complexity of the floor plan that turned and curved and never seemed to end, he could tell that it wasn’t the only floor. Two sets of elegant stairs that featured golden railings and deep blue carpeting ran both up and down from the middle floor. And to say how large the room was would be difficult to define. It never seemed to end and there was always a bar nearby. Patrons of all types flocked to each other, their clothing could only be compared to a fashion show. And he thought that the smell in the air would be offensive considering how many brands of cologne and perfume there would be, however, try as he might he could not sense any other odours or smells. This place was engineered from luxury right down to the sense of smell.

As they approached what Jaune thought the middle of the floor was, the girls turned around and looked at him. “So Jauney, which girl do you want to go with first?” Melanie cooed.

Pyrrha chuckled and patted his arms. “You’ll be alright with these two, right Tiger?”

“What about you?” He asked, turning towards her.

She smiled at him and patted his cheek. “I’ll be fine, you’ve got my number and I can always tell when my phone is ringing. If there is an emergency or you just want a rest, come and find me, okay?” She grinned again.

Jaune nodded slowly and turned to Melanie, who took this as him choosing her and eagerly took his arm, with the pair and Miltia easily slipping past the people and becoming practically invisible.

Pyrrha sighed in relief, now he could finally have some fun and lighten up. It wasn’t long until a brave enough lad came up to her. “Hello there, would you mind if I got you a drink?”

“I wouldn’t mind if you paid for my drink.” She said, heading towards the bar and sliding into a seat before gesturing to the barkeep to make her a drink.

The young man followed behind and sat next to her. “Sure thing, whatever you want.” He grinned.

Now that Pyrrha looked at him she could see that he was popular. He had a sharp, clean shaven jawline with powerful facial features and a striking set of baby blue eyes. His blonde hair was of course styled into whatever was popular today. His clothing agreed with him as well, a light pink shirt that was slightly unbuttoned at the top with navy blue slacks complementing the colour. His shoes were a dark and shining black leather and his belt was a similar colour. Her immediate instincts told her that he was a playboy or a bit of a douche, but she reigned that bit in when the memory of Melanie teasing her for her lack of a boyfriend. Why not give him a fair chance?

“Are you here with anyone?” He asked, wanting to start a conversation.

“Yeah, two girls and a guy.” She said simply.

“Oh really? Well either that’s a lucky guy or someone who doesn’t know what he has in front of him.” He said confidently.

God that was so lame, even for her. She admitted that she liked cheesy things but that nearly made her cringe. She turned to him with a disinterested glare. “Alright, just drop that act ok? I’m not a bimbo whom you can complement to the point of sleeping with you. Alright? I came here for a drink or two alone, and I’m willing to have a conversation but don’t mistake me for another dumb bitch.” She said harshly.

He was taken aback by her attitude, but he relented with a sigh. “That’s slightly reassuring.”

She looked at him, confused. “What are you talking about?”

“I’ve been told time and time again that what I did was a sure-fire way to get any girl’s attention, it’s a relief to know I can actually have a conversation with someone.”

She hummed and took her drink as the barkeep handed it to her. “Alrighty, let’s just say right now you haven’t repulsed me to the point of no return. Let’s see you make up for the dumpster fire that was that first introduction.”

He laughed out loud and grinned at her. “That bad huh?”

“I nearly felt like throwing up.” She teased, chuckling with him too. A comfortable silence fell between the two, the ice had broken, and the conversation could go anywhere. The guy took a sip from his drink and pondered a safe question to ask, before finally coming to one.

“So, what’s this guy like?”

_Back with Jaune and the Twins_

“So where do you wanna go? Wanna go upstairs to see the lovely view of the city or… maybe you want to go downstairs and see what goes on hmm?” Melanie cooed in his ear, causing a shiver to run down his spine.

“Melanie you’re going to fry his brain with the amount of signals and left turns you’re giving him. Don’t worry about her Jaune, she’s just teasing. Let’s go upstairs for a bit alright?” Miltia suggested, giving Jaune the escape he desperately sought.

The three scaled the ornate staircase to the top floor, which was vastly different from the middle floor. It had mood lighting all over the place, with small booths and whatnot for couples to slide in to. Each booth featured a small, ornate hanging lamp that the couple could operate, only to be plunged into darkness that was illuminated by the warm amber lighting underneath the tabletop. Each booth seemed to prize secrecy and privacy while not compromising on style or affluence. Soft music played over hidden speakers and the bars were dimly lit, providing a haven to the solo drinkers or the group parties. The atmosphere was quiet, nearly silent if not for the soft buzz of conversation and the tinkling of glasses and bottles.

The twins tugged him over to a booth and turned down the lighting, giving them the privacy the girls desired. Miltia sat next to him, patting the place right next to her. Jaune grinned and easily complied sitting next to the beautiful girl. He originally thought that the luxury leather seats would be cold or uncomfortable, but he was wrong, for the sofa felt like a warm and comfortable haven for him. Melanie pouted at her sister’s pre-emptive strike and took back the initiative by sitting on Jaune’s lap, leaning against him with a soft sigh.

Jaune sighed as he realised that tonight wasn’t going to be cruisy by any means. He did grin however, looking over at Miltia who couldn’t help but grin back and shake her head.

“So Tiger, what do you want to drink first?” Melanie said, turning her body around to talk to him, effectively straddling him and sitting on his knees.

“Ummm what do you recommend?” Jaune asked, a slight blush creeping into his face.

“Well there’s quite a few, depends on how you want this night to go.” She grinned, her finger daintily sliding down his chest.

“Let’s start off slow, then we can see where we’ll go.” Jaune decided.

Melanie laughed loudly. “I’m sorry, but that was the exact answer I expected from you.” She dismounted him and left to go get their drinks.

Jaune turned to Miltia and sighed. “Why do I feel like she’s into me?”

Miltia thought for a bit and hummed. “She might be, or she might not. My sister is very effervescent with the men she’s with, but I think she sees you as a soft-hearted bloke that she has no right to be with. Why? Are you interested in her?” She grinned.

Jaune bit his lip. “She is one of the hottest girls I’ve ever seen, and I’ve got no shame in saying that… But I’m still hung up on my ex…” He mumbled, staring at the pattern of the table that he could see from the dim lighting from underneath.

Miltia sidled up to him and leant her head on his shoulder. “Yeah… you’re way too pure for her. In a good way, mind you… But Melanie kinda feels like she has no right to be with you. She thinks you deserve a cruisy life that can be exciting but not dangerous. She’s the opposite, she craves danger and attention. She loves it when there’s tension, she loves it when two guys fight over her. She’s just living life while she can right now, she might settle down. But not now.”

“And what about you, aren’t you interested in me?” Jaune grinned, teasing her slightly.

Miltia looked up at him. “You intrigue me greatly. You’ve been through an experience that would quite honestly change a lot of people, but not you. So either you’re resilient and stubborn as a mule or your hiding your pain underneath a smile.” She said analytically, her eyes darting between his.

“That’s not an answer.” His smile faltered at the mention of his pain.

“I’m interested in you, and yet not interested in you. Simply put you’ve got too much going on and too much baggage attached to your ex for me to consider you romantically. But I could consider you romantically.”

By then Melanie returned with all their drinks. She had vodka with cranberry juice, Miltia had a Malibu with coconut and orange juice while Jaune had a simple rum and coke. Jaune tensed slightly as he saw the liquid and looked up at Melanie.

“Don’t worry about it, this ain’t whiskey, it’s rum. Not too hard on you but not too soft like Malibu.” She grinned, Miltia giving her the finger while she sipped on her drink.

Melanie sat back into his lap again, grinding against it as she made herself comfortable, sighing as she sipped on her drink. “So, what do you think will happen tonight?” She whispered.

“Umm. Maybe drinking, a bit of dancing?” He suggested, taking another sip of his drink. To be honest he felt completely out of his element here. There are two beautiful girls sitting with him, one currently on his lap, and he had no idea on what to do. Does he take the initiative and become physical with one of them or will he just stay passive for the whole night?

Melanie laughed softly. “You are so innocent, you know that? I guess to be fair The Ritz is far classier than your average nightclub, but don’t think that nothing lecherous happens here, people find it enticing to debauch themselves in a high-class club.” She whispered, looking up at him with those enthralling eyes.

Her words and body language seemed to say yes, but the consequences of him being wrong were terrifying to him. He cleared his throat and looked into her eyes with an intensity that was new to Melanie. “Though I guess the question is, what can I get away with?” He murmured to her.

She grinned from ear to ear before leaning forward until their noses nearly touched. “Anything that you want, I can handle it.” She whispered back.

Her words incensed something deep in Jaune, something he hadn’t felt for a long time. He bit his lower lip and focussed on reigning it in and settled for just placing a gentle hand on Melanie’s hip. His conflict must’ve shown on his face, for Melanie grinned widely again and kissed his nose. “That’s why I have no right to have you.” She whispered. Jaune felt a hint of sadness behind that statement.

“Just because you’re a party girl doesn’t mean you don’t deserve happiness. Everyone does, or at least everyone deserves the right to experience it. And you do too.” He spoke quietly but his words were firm.

Melanie’s smile fell, before being replaced with a weak smile. “F-fuck, why couldn’t I have met you earlier?” She sighed.

“Would this have meant any more if we did meet any earlier?” He suggested, giving her a small pat and rub of the head. He looked over at Miltia who wore a small smile, mouthing the words ‘I told you so’.

Melanie got up and sighed, shaking out her hair. “I’m gonna go and have a dance, shake this melancholy off alright? I’ll keep in touch alright Miltia?” She said, gesturing to her watch that Jaune hadn’t noticed before.

Miltia nodded and gave her a small wave as Melanie walked off and disappeared. She turned to Jaune and leant against him. “Careful, because you might’ve just pulled her heartstrings a bit. That’s dangerous when it comes to her.” She teased.

Jaune chuckled slightly, wrapping an arm around Miltia and giving her a squeeze. “I did speak from the heart… She just seems resigned to the fact that she doesn’t deserve the right to be happy.”

“Well she’s not exactly innocent. She has done some pretty bad shit and she’s instigated a lot of it. She hasn’t done anything illegal per se, nor anything awful. But let’s just say she’s messed around with a lot of guys and their emotions before.” Miltia elaborated, she stirred her drink with her finger, the ice clinking against the glass and each other.

“Well sexual history doesn’t matter much to me, just as long as I know any… diseases or infections beforehand. It’s not my business who they’ve had sex with unless it can directly affect me or my health.” Jaune said simply as he took another gulp of his drink. The mixture was perfect, he could taste the rum on the very edge of his taste buds and the coke was sweet and cold.

“Did your dad teach you that as well?” Miltia asked as she sipped her drink.

“Both of my parents, and plus I’m pretty sure that I’d prefer my privacy to be respected about who I’ve slept with. That question just reveals a lot of insecurity that quite honestly should be fixed.”

“I both agree and disagree. I don’t see the harm in asking just as long as it's just the once, any more than that and you’ll drop faster in my favour than a sack of shit.” Miltia stated, looking up at him.

He looked back down at her, a silence growing between the two. The atmosphere between them became warm and comfortable, Miltia getting close to him and Jaune squeezing her more tightly.

They both didn’t know who made the first move, but their heads moved in, and their lips inched closer and closer. Finally, they both locked together. Jaune felt her lips and they were luxuriously delicate, but they were full. Her lips softly pressed against his and caressed them. Miltia felt their fullness and their surprising softness thrilled her. They were only connected for a few seconds, before breaking away and leaving each other in a feeling of amazement.

Miltia smiled and pecked his lips again. “Yup… I could definitely think of you romantically. But maybe we should get know each other a bit more before then?” She suggested, a soft smile on her face, before that smile widened. “But I don’t think I have the right to steal you from her.” She said cryptically as she went back to sipping her drink.

“Who? Melanie?” Jaune asked, honestly stumped as he recovered from their locking of lips. ‘She has to be talking about Melanie, but I thought she wasn’t that willing or interested in me in that way, or at least not yet… Is she talking about Pyrrha?’

While he was left in his bubble of pontificating, Miltia got up and stretched. “I’m going to go to the bathroom and maybe check up on Melanie, are you okay if I leave you here?” She asked while looking down at him.

He nodded, smiling at her and taking another sip of his drink. “Yeah I’ll be fine, I’ll just stay here. You stay safe okay?” He squeezed her hand softly. She squeezed back and nodded before heading off, slowly disappearing into the crowd.

Jaune was left by himself in the darkness of the booth, sighing and finishing his drink. He played with the glass, sliding it between his hands while he began to think about what had happened recently. It had been two weeks since he crashed with Pyrrha and already he was making new friends and starting new beginnings. “I should call Ren and Nora soon… Meet up with them maybe.” He mused as he began to become so focussed on the glass, tuning everything out.

His brooding was interrupted when a panicked Miltia came along and tugged on his shirt. “Jaune! Jaune! Wake up!” She whispered, giving him a push.

He broke out of his funk and turned to look at her, his stomach dropping at the look of her face. “Miltia, what is wrong?” He said, already standing up.

“I can’t find Melanie. I tried to see where she is but I can’t find her anywhere, and I always know where she goes in this place!” She began to hyperventilate. Jaune grabbed her arms and moved her in front of him.

“Miltia, look at me.” He said, softly grabbing her head and forcing her to look at him. “Breathe, one two three… one two three. Keep breathing.” She nodded with tears in her eyes as she fought to regain control of her breathing, her chest rapidly rising and falling.

“I-I can’t find Melanie… She’s nowhere to be seen and I can’t find her at the usual spots.” She sobbed through tears.

He took a deep breath and looked around. “Could she be downstairs?” He asked.

“N-no she hardly if ever goes down there.” She stammered.

“Alright, go find Pyrrha and meet me at the front in half an hour, if I’m not back by then with Melanie, call security, alright?”

“W-why don’t we call security now?” She coughed.

“Because I don’t want to waste time trying to sort through the nonsense of getting them to look for her when I can actually start looking for her.” He said firmly. He felt that the safest bet would’ve been to call security, but with the amount of people around and only a brief description of Melanie, she could look like thousands of other girls. And he felt like she was his responsibility. He let her go and he didn’t watch out for her, he’ll deal with this himself. “Stay safe and immediately go to Pyrrha, okay?” Miltia nodded, hiccupping softly, before giving him a tight hug.

Once she let go of him he bolted down the stairway. He knew exactly what she looked like and for the past two weeks that they’d interacted, he felt like he could pick her out of a crowd. But how could he succeed where Miltia failed? They were twins, so of course she’d be able to pick her out easier. But Jaune wasn’t banking on logic, he was banking his height and speed to give him an edge in finding Melanie.

‘Christ any more of this shit going on and I look like a fucking hero trying too hard.’ He berated himself as he took multiple steps down to the middle floor. He stopped and looked around, scanning far and wide. It was going to be difficult, everywhere people danced, laughed, and drank together, drowning out all noises and becoming a sea of different fashions and styles.

His gut told him to go down to the bottom floor, and he finally relented. He flew down the steps and nearly collided with a couple before making it to the bottom floor. Melanie was right, if there was a place for debauchery in The Ritz, it would be this floor. The mood lighting was dark and a seductive purple, as if this whole world were a dream and you could do whatever you want here.

He grunted and began to look for Melanie again. ‘Don’t get violent don’t get violent don’t get violent don’t get violent don’t get violent.’ He chanted to himself as he felt his frustration rise. Any glimpse of her could relieve him, but he couldn’t find any trace of her. He bumped into more couples and he mistook a few girls for Melanie, it seemed like no matter what he did it felt fruitless.

He went to the back rooms where the noises hinted at something was happening. People in the hallway made out with each other and the smell of sex and alcohol was in the air. Jaune refused to believe that Melanie would be here on her own volition, she was a party girl yes but Jaune felt that she knew the dangers of coming down here and being alone.

He rounded a corner and at the end of the hallway he caught a glimpse of a stark white top that seemed eerily familiar. He took a deep breath and strode, nearly jogging, to that comforting colour. As he got closer he could tell more and more. He saw the dress that became a darker blue as it ended at the skirt whose hem ended above the knees. He could see that signature white clutch and the midnight black hair that was soft as silk and shone like a mirror.

As Jaune neared he could tell it was Melanie. But she was with another guy. He felt relief flood his stomach, only to be replaced with a gnawing feeling. While she was with another guy, her body language didn’t seem to be welcoming him. She was drawn up against the wall, her hands close to her chest and she looked up at him. She seemed to want to disappear into the wall or to get away from him.

As if he was mirroring the opposite, he leered over her, his hand planted firmly on the wall behind her. His posture was drooped, and he towered over Melanie and his body language seemed to suggest nothing but full domination. He was large, larger than Jaune. Judging by the size of his forearms and the muscles in his neck, he spent a lot more time at the gym.

Jaune swallowed as he continued getting closer. He couldn’t hear them talking due to the music and the noises of the other occupants, but he could tell that he was the one who controlled the conversation. Her responses were clipped and short, judging by how little her lips moved.

He drew up behind the guy and sighed, before putting a hand on his shoulder. “Excuse me kind sir!”

The man turned around and glared at Jaune, staring him up and down as his fists clenched. “What do you want?” His voice was gravelly and was deep and threatening, Jaune felt like this man had only violence on his mind.

“I believe you are bothering my girlfriend. I was just getting more drinks when she suddenly disappeared. You wouldn’t happen to have anything to do with that, would you?” He suggested, keeping as neutral as possible.

“Yeah I took her down here, poor girl looked like she needed a happy night and a good fuck.” He grumbled, his fists clenching and unclenching.

Jaune rubbed his face with his hand and cleared his throat, before looking over to Melanie. “You alright… Babe?” He said, trying to give her an out.

Melanie saw him and timidly nodded, before dashing over to him and hugging him tight. This infuriated the violent man as he raised his fist.

“I wouldn’t do that if I were you. I am willing to look over that you seemed to have crude intentions with my girlfriend, but any strike against me or her will result in security being called. That would leave you outside, flat on your ass and your dick wet and shrivelled up. Or… You could leave right now, not bother her again and nothing else will come of tonight.” Jaune nearly felt his guts drop as he gave the man the ultimatum. It was a large risk because the man could break his face in and leave anyways. But he had hoped that the act of saving face would appeal to him even more. He fought to control his body from shaking, his fear nearly overriding his control.

The man took a few seconds to process the offer before grunting and leaving.

Jaune nearly felt his knees give out as the man left. His stomach turned queasy while he fought to keep it under control. He turned to the bundle in his arms and stroked her. “Are you okay?” A nod, but sobs came from her. “Are you cold?” Another nod.

He looked around. ‘Fuck it.’ He stripped his shirt off and draped it around her tightly. It was a thick cotton blend, so hopefully it would warm her up a bit. “Come on… we need to go.” He murmured to her softly, but she wouldn’t budge.

He rubbed his forehead and looked around, before leaning down and picking Melanie up bridal style, however she didn’t make a noise. She felt light in his arms and he could tell that she was starting to warm up at least. “I’m just going to take you back to Miltia and Pyrrha, okay? Straight to them. I promise.” He said softly into her ear. Another nod.

He started the exodus towards the stairs, scaling them slowly so as not to jolt Melanie. “It’s okay, I’ve got you.” He murmured for her to hear, taking his time getting up the steps. As he got to the top there were a few people that wondered what had happened for him to be shirtless and carrying a girl, but he ignored them as he started towards the entrance.

It wasn’t long until he could see the dark red hair of Pyrrha holding a stressed out Miltia. “See? We’re nearly home, okay?” A nod.

Pyrrha looked around semi-frantically as she beseeched the crowd to melt away and reveal Jaune. Her eyes were captured by the bobbing of a blonde head that seemed hauntingly familiar. She held Miltia tightly as she continued to breathe life into her hope. She was stressed beyond belief when Miltia came and told her that Melanie went missing, even more so when she also added that Jaune went looking for her. Thankfully the pair had gone and alerted security anyways, and two guards were standing with them waiting for Jaune. One of them leant down and gestured to Jaune. “Is that him right that?” He rumbled.

Pyrrha nodded, biting her lip as finally Jaune came away from the crowd into full view. The lack of a shirt surprised her, but relief flooded her system when she saw the bundle in his arms. She had to stop Miltia from running at her twin sister, not wanting to draw a crowd.

Jaune stopped in front of the pair, a security guard asking him a few questions. Jaune was busy for a few minutes as he talked to the guard, getting details of the man and what happened and what he did. Finally happy with what they had, security moved away from them and disappeared, leaving Jaune standing there with Melanie in his arms.

Jaune smiled softly and cradled Melanie, looking over at Pyrrha and Miltia. “I think we’ve had a bit too much excitement now, don’t you agree?” He asked lightly, trying to make the mood better. Both nodded and the group left The Ritz, and the memory of that night far behind.

It was a solemn walk and Melanie had gone to sleep in Jaune’s arms. “Where should we go?” He asked the group, but mainly to Miltia as it was her sister that needed to get home.

“We can stay over at Junior’s club, it should be closed right now. But there is an upstairs area that has a few beds. We can stay there.” Miltia decided, starting to take the route to Junior’s club.

“Have you told him what has happened?” Pyrrha asked the smaller girl, who shook her head.

“No, Melanie will tell Junior when she is ready. But she might not at all, I’m not sure. She’s always been able to handle herself and whatnot… What was the man like?” Miltia asked Jaune.

He was silent for a few seconds, thinking of his response. “He was large, incredibly large. And he was strong, the muscles in his neck were ridiculous. I felt that if he wanted to, he could’ve hit me, and I would’ve been out for hours.” He spoke truthfully, recalling the horrible feeling of that encounter.

“How did you get him to stop, what was he doing?” Pyrrha asked, looking over at the still shirtless blonde. Jaune had refused to put Melanie down and she agreed, waking her up could create complications.

“He wasn’t doing anything horrible, I promise you that. When I saw him, he was leaning over her very aggressively and she was backed right up against the wall and she looked frightened. I knew I couldn’t beat him in a fight so I thought of how I could solve the issue diplomatically. I basically said that if he left I would let it slide but if he struck me or her then security would have to get involved. I gave him an out that kept his dignity intact.”

Pyrrha sighed and rubbed her face. “I would’ve knocked his lights out.” She chuckled darkly.

“I know you would, that’s partially why I wanted to be the first one to find her, cause I didn’t want to feel sorry for the guy you would’ve had to beat up.” He chuckled softly.

The city still had that spectre of darkness and evil throughout its unbreakable shadows, and their experiences that night only made that spectre worse. Jaune wanted to get to the haven of the club as quickly as possible and out of the darkened streets.

His wishes were swiftly granted, as the sign for the club came into view. The group sighed in relief as they quickened their pace towards it. This place loomed like the local courthouse, but its size and influence were that of comfort, it was a safe place for them to rest and recover.

Miltia used a spare key to get the group through the back door and up the stairs, encouraging them to keep quiet while the door behind them shut and automatically locked. The stairs featured a door up the top that opened to a luxurious space line with a couple of couches, a few doors with numbers on them. “We have our own room, you two can share or have your own I don’t mind.” She stated before she disappeared.

Jaune stood still, not knowing what to do with Melanie in his arms. Pyrrha looked around and gestured for him to put her in one of the rooms, which he nodded to. He disappeared into the first room, taking a glance. It was a luxurious space, soft cushions, and a comfortable bed with a leather couch in the corner and a minifridge next to the bed. He sighed and placed her down onto the bed, drawing the covers around her. She stirred softly and murmured something incomprehensible, but he smiled and stroked her forehead before leaving.

He was met with the sight of Pyrrha and Miltia sitting on a sofa, gazing forward listlessly. “Are you two okay?” He looked up at the clock, it was late at night.

They both nodded before turning their attention to him. “Are you going to be shirtless or night? I don’t remember ordering an escort.” Pyrrha jokes, a small smile on her face.

Jaune chuckled quietly, walking over and sitting with the girls. “We should all go to bed, it’s been a crazy night, alright?” He suggested, both girls nodding again. They all got up and Pyrrha gave Jaune a hug goodnight.

“Lucky Melanie, being tucked up against this all night. You been holding out on me?” She teased, poking her tongue at him.

“Nothing you ain’t seen before.” He winked, hugging her tightly and letting her go.

Once Pyrrha had left for her own room, Miltia came up to him with her gaze to the floor. Finally, she looked up at him with those enthralling eyes that she shared with Melanie. Her lower lip trembled before she suddenly pushed him onto the sofa, mounting him slowly.

“M-Miltia are you okay?” Jaune asked, confused by her abnormal behaviour. Miltia wrapped her arms around his neck and stared into his eyes.

“Thank you… for what you did.” She whispered before capturing his lips into a fiery kiss that burned him to his core, her lips were soft and cautious but enraptured him all the same. She was aggressive and enthusiastic yet controlled, leaving him speechless as she broke the kiss. “We were right… You’re too good for anyone… Goodnight Jaune.” She murmured as she dismounted from him and disappeared into Melanie’s room.

Jaune felt like a whirlwind tore through him while he sat there. His hand unbiddenly stroked his lips, as if to replay the feeling again. He sat in that position for a while, feeling lost. After a while he stood up and disappeared into his own room, sliding underneath the soft and warm cover of the bed.

After taking a deep breath, he closed his eyes. Sleep took him quickly, and his dreams were only of the twins


End file.
